Just One Dance
by Delenaeternally
Summary: Damon and Elena meet in a bar but is anything ever that simple? Based on the song "Aw Naw" by Chris Young. This was a one-shot that I have turned into a multi-chapter story.
1. Chapter 1

_Okay, so I know I'm in the middle of writing another story but this is they story that made me want to write fan fiction. Every time I hear the song "Aw Naw" by Chris Young a video plays in my head starring Damon and Elena. I needed to get this out. As of right now, this is a one-shot but it can be developed into a multi-chapter story if you all want. However, Damon and Elena A Love Story will always be my first priority._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or "Aw Naw"_

Just One Dance

Brothers Damon and Stefan Salvatore were hanging out at the local bar with their friends, Jeremy Gilbert and Alaric Saltzman. They regularly meet for drinks to unwind after work to blow off steam. However, tonight was destined to be different.

"Hey guys, I think I'm going to take off." Damon says after a couple of drinks. The boys immediately try to get him to change his mind and stay. "You know we have to be up early in the morning. We could take this back the Boarding House and continue drinking there."

"Andie won't mind?" Ric asks, suspiciously.

"I don't even know if she's there tonight but it's my house. If I want to have my friends over, I'll have my friends over."

"Let's go then." Stefan says.

As they are making their way out of the bar, Damon hears someone order Patron.

"Hold up. Patron sounds awesome. Just one more drink."

That one more drink turned into a couple more drinks. When Damon realized how late it was, he gathered everyone to head home. If Andie is home, he realizes, she is going to kill him for being out so late. As they are making their way out, he notices a brunette hanging out with her friends and shooting Bacardi. He knows he's not there to pickup anybody so he starts walking again. Then she turns and they lock eyes.

Damon automatically stops as he is struck by how beautiful she is and there is this instant connection. She is wearing red halter-top, skinny jeans and knee high stiletto boots. With one look he knows that he can't leave without at least one dance.

"God, she is hot as fuck." Damon says to no one in particular.

"Dude, that's my sister." Jeremy looks disgusted. "I told you about her."

"You didn't tell me she's hot."

"That's because she's not. She's my sister."

"Introduce us."

"Not happening."

"I'm not asking for her hand in marriage. Just one dance."

"Fine. Come on." Jeremy leads them over to his sister and her friends. "Hey, Elena."

"Jere! I didn't know you were going to be here tonight!" Elena squeals and hugs Jeremy.

"Elena, this is Damon Salvatore. Damon, this is my sister, Elena Gilbert." Damon takes Elena's hand and kisses the back of it. There is a spark of electricity that they both feel. "And this is Stefan Salvatore and Ric Salzman. This is my girlfriend, Bonnie Bennett, their friend Caroline Forbes and our aunt Jenna."

"It's great to meet you guys," Elena says while Damon is still holding her hand. "Were you guys leaving?"

"We were but I think we're staying now." Damon smirks "Would you like to dance?"

As they head out to the dance floor, "Just Gettin' Started" by Jason Aldean comes on which is the perfect song for Damon to twirl Elena around the dance floor. Stefan and Caroline, Bonnie and Jeremy and Ric and Jenna join them. After dancing to several songs, the couples are breathless and head off the dance floor to meet back at the bar.

Damon and Elena are the last to make their way over. Halfway there Damon stops and turns toward Elena.

"Can we go outside and talk where it's quieter?"

"Sure."

They make their way outside and head around the corner of the bar into the alley.

"I wish Jeremy had introduced us sooner." Damon says. "I knew he had a sister but he always acted like you were no fun and stuck up."

"He would think that." Elena laughs. "Jenna and I raised him after our parents died. He missed out on the fun Elena. With him growing up, I'm finally able to be myself again. If it counts for anything, I wish we had met sooner also."

"Can I kiss you?"

"I wish you would."

Damon cups her face and gently brushes her lips with his own. Once their lips meet, the electricity between them explodes. Damon traces her lips with his tongue and Elena opens her mouth to pull his tongue in. As she is sucking on his tongue, they hear their friends coming around the corner and they reluctantly move apart.

"I guess this is where we say good night." Damon says.

"Yeah, I guess so. Good night Damon."

"Good night Elena."

Elena walks off with her friends while all Damon can do is watch. He knows he can't not see her again but what is he supposed to do about Andie?


	2. Chapter 2

_So, I'm back with a second chapter. This chapter is going to fill it some things about Damon's relationship with Andie and what's going there. This chapter is divided in two with the first part being Damon's and second Elena's. Hope you all enjoy!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries._

Chapter 2

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This is not what one should say when they pull into their driveway and see their beautiful girlfriend's car. The car meaning she didn't have to do the 11 pm news and is in the house waiting. Normally I would be stoked that she is here already. However, I met and made out with Elena Gilbert tonight. That doesn't exactly make me the greatest boyfriend or eager to go inside.

However, Andie has had a horrible year and I don't need to be adding to her stress. She's very strong and comes off like nothing can ever hurt her but there's a vulnerability that only lets me see. Her family doesn't even see her vulnerability. The last thing she needs is me lusting after another woman. She deserves better than me.

"So, Andie's here." Stefan, Captain Obvious, says from my passenger seat.

"Yep." I say and pop the "p".

"Do we need to get our stories straight?" Ric asks from the backseat. Often, Ric will come back to the Boarding House with us on nights that we go to the bar. He has a loft in town but I think he prefers to not be alone on these nights.

"What stories?"

"You and Elena, dancing, for one." He answers, leaning between Stefan and me.

"Andie doesn't care about me dancing with other people. She's secure."

"I don't think she's secure enough to handle you leaving the bar with Elena and then making out in the alley." Stefan supplies.

"Okay, we can leave that part out." I roll my eyes.

"By the way, we made plans to see the girls again. Jenna invited us over for a cookout."

"But we suggested a pool party over here instead. We thought it would be more fun plus they'll be in swimsuits."

"Perfect." I mutter.

"Elena will probably come too." Stefan points out.

"Probably. " I mutter again. Elena in a swimsuit. Perfect. Andie being there also. Not so perfect.

"Can we go in? My legs are too long to be cramped into this backseat for much longer."

"Can you stop whining?" I roll my eyes but open my door. "Let's go."

When we walk into the foyer, Andie is walking up the stairs. Perfect timing.

"Hey, you're home late." Andie says as she comes over to me and kisses me. "I only had to do the evening news and I was hoping you were would be here."

"We stopped at the bar with Jeremy for a few drinks and ended up losing track of time. Why don't you go on up and I'll be there in a few minutes?"

"Sure. I'll be waiting." With a wink, Andie is headed back up the stairs. Usually I'm right behind her even when Ric is here but not tonight. Things have changed and I need to figure out just how much and if I need to do something. I don't want to hurt her any more than she's already been hurt. It's not fair to her.

"One more drink before calling it a night?" Stefan asks as we head into the parlor. Ric and I join him at the drinks cart for our nightcap.

I finally make it upstairs about an hour later, hoping Andie would be asleep by this time. No such luck. She's sitting up in bed reading on her iPad. Damn, she's going to expect sex and I'm just not into it tonight. There's too much to think about and try to figure out.

"Did you guys have a good time tonight?"

"Yep." I go into the bathroom to do my nightly routine and when I come back out Andie is waiting expectantly for me to elaborate. "Ric and Stefan met a couple of girls, Jeremy's aunt Jenna and Jeremy's girlfriend's best friend, Caroline."

"No fourth girl?" Andie questions. Why would she ask that? Not normally something she asks.

"Jeremy's older sister was there." I go to my dresser, pull out my black pajama pants and put them on. "I think her name's Elena. Apparently, she and Jenna raised Jeremy when their parents died."

"How sad."

"It is." I climb into bed. Once in bed with Andie, I realize that for right now this is where I belong. Everything else can be sorted out later.

EPOV

Caroline, Jenna and I are at my house getting ready for the pool party at the Salvatore's. Jenna and I still live in my parents' house although Caroline and I are talking about getting an apartment together. Jeremy and Bonnie already live together.

Bonnie, Caroline and I have been together our whole lives. Our mothers were also best friends. Unfortunately, only one remains. Caroline's mom is our sheriff. Bonnie's mom, Abby, left when we were toddlers and my mom was killed in a car accident with my dad at the end of our junior year. After that, we remained the best of friends while Jenna and I worked together to parent Jeremy and she taught me how to run a household. She was just learning herself. Eventually, we all came through it.

The three of us just recently finished our college careers at nearby Whitmore College. Bonnie is commuting and working on her Master's and has a TA position in the history department. Caroline has started an event planning business and I have been in charge of her marketing campaign. For my full-time job, and this proves it's a small world, I will be starting at Salvatore Enterprises on Monday writing and editing copy for their marketing department.

When I applied (at Jeremy's insistence) for and interviewed for this position, I didn't know Damon. Now I'm not sure how I feel about it. I haven't heard from his since the other night, not that I expected. Yeah, I thought maybe after that kiss he would call me but he doesn't have my number. Obviously he could've gotten it from Jeremy but maybe there's some guy code I don't know about.

Anyway, I'm not even sure I want to go to this party and face Damon. It's going to be hard enough to work for him without socializing with him too.

"Earth to Elena." Caroline snaps her fingers in my face. Apparently, she's been trying to get my attention.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"What are you thinking about so hard?"

"Just about starting this new job on Monday."

"And seeing Damon today?" Jenna questions. We are in her bedroom, formerly my parents, and she is putting all of our stuff in a beach bag. We're wearing our bikinis over but are planning on changing there. Plus we're taking our towels and sunscreen.

"Yeah and seeing him on Monday. I just don't know if I can face him after the other night. That is so not like me and then he's made no attempts at communication."

"Okay. First, you are going to this party. We told Stefan and Ric you would be there." Caroline has her bossy pants on so I'm going whether I like it or not. "Second, you're going to be working at his company on Monday. You're not working for him directly. According to Stefan, your boss will be Brady, not Damon and Brady reports to Stefan." 

"Is there a third?"

"As a matter of fact there is." Caroline sits down beside me on the bed and takes my hand. I guess it's not a good third. "Damon apparently has a girlfriend that he's been with for quite a while. She's Andie Star, you know who does the evening news."

"You're kidding. He has a girlfriend and he hit on me at the bar?" I question. Suddenly, I'm very ready to go to this party and see Damon Salvatore again.


	3. Chapter 3

_Finally, Chapter 3. Hopefully it'll start to answer some questions you all might have but not all of them. We need to leave some mystery. There's a lot to work through over the next few chapters. I borrowed a quote from Season 3 which I felt was appropriate. Hopefully, you all will see some more of Damon's struggles with this. He has not gone about this the right way so we'll see how Elena deals with him. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and follows. You all are awesome!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries_

Chapter 3

Damon's POV

During the party, I am sitting alone in the library drinking and trying not to think about what's happening outside. Stefan came in and announced that the guests had arrived if I would like to join them. He made it a special point to mention that Elena is here. Hence why I'm sitting here in my swimming trunks and not out there. I know that if see her I'm just going to end up hurting her and Andie. It's not what I want. I'm not sure exactly what I want but not hurting either of them is at the top of the list.

To hell with it. I throw back the last of my drink and decide to go outside. Who am I kidding? There is no way that I'll be able to stay away knowing Elena is in my backyard. I'm not sure how she's going to react because I'm almost positive that she knows about Andie by this point. There is no way my baby brother hasn't spilled his guts to Caroline.

I go down the stone steps leading from the patio to the pool and I don't see her at first. Caroline, Stefan, Ric and Jenna are in the pool horsing around. I glance around and, fuck me, she is laying on one of the chaise lounges looking absolutely hot. Her hair is down and wavy and she has on the tiniest black string bikini and she's laughing with Bonnie.

Okay, I can't stand here all day and stare at her like some crazy stalker. Time to put my big boy underwear on and go talk to her.

"Hello Bonnie, Elena." They both stop talking and look up at me.

"I'm going to go find Jeremy and get a drink. Elena, do you want one?" Bonnie asks as she stands.

"No I'm good. Thanks."

When Bonnie leaves, I sit facing Elena on the lounge on her left that Bonnie vacated. I notice that the smile Elena did have on her face is now gone. Well, here goes nothing.

"I'm glad you decided to come to the party."

"Are you?" Elena says coldly with an arched eyebrow.

"Of course I am."

"I don't know why it matters to you where I am and what I do."

Okay, this is not going the way I hoped but at least she's talking to me. "Why wouldn't it matter?"

"Maybe because of the girlfriend you failed to mention the other night." So she does know. The attitude makes sense.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Andie but honestly, I don't think she has anything to do with the other night."

"We danced and made out and you don't think that has anything to do with your girlfriend."

"Not really. Look, our relationship is a little unconventional and she wouldn't care about the dancing."

"But she would care about the making out, correct?"

"Probably not but since it's never happened before it's not been an issue."

"So you don't make it a habit to make out with strangers in bars?" Elena asks disbelievingly.

"First, you're not a stranger. You're Jeremy's sister. Second, it isn't something I've done while not single."

"So I should be flattered?"

"I didn't say that." God, could I have messed this up anymore.

"I want to make something clear too." Elena's getting fired up and while I hate being the reason for it, it's better than the coldness. "I don't normally go around kissing strangers in bars period. Whether they are friends with my brother or whether I'm dating someone or not. I certainly don't go around kissing other people's boyfriends. How could you do that to not only me but to her?"

"Look, there is something about you that made me want to get to know you and then I wanted to kiss you. It wasn't planned or done to hurt anyone least of all you or Andie."

"Damon, I'm not hurt. I'm mad that you felt you could treat us this way. When I didn't hear from you, I thought maybe I had done something wrong or it didn't mean anything to you. That's when I was hurt."

"Elena, I didn't have your number." That's a weak excuse and she knows it.

"Like you couldn't have gotten it from Jeremy or Stefan or Ric could've gotten it from Caroline or Jenna. Then today, while we were getting ready, Caroline drops the bombshell that you live with your girlfriend."

"First of all, we don't live together. She just stays here a lot."

"So not the point. The point is you have a girlfriend and I should have found out from you, not Caroline."

"You're right." I say because that's all I can say. She is completely right.

"I'm right?"

"I have gone about this completely wrong and I am a big enough man to admit that." I give her my famous smirk but she does not look amused. "I should have broken things off with Andie before I ever even thought about kissing you. However, there are things that have happened in the past year that doesn't make that as simple to do as it sounds."

"Okay, let's say that's true and I believe you. What now?"

"Well, my brother is dating your best friend. My best friend is dating your aunt. Your brother is a good friend of mine and an employee. I think it's safe to say we are going to be spending a lot of time together."

"I think you're right. What now?"

"Let's try to get along and then maybe we can at least be friends later on." Please agree to this.

"I can live with that." Thank God she still wants to be around me. While I don't know where all this is headed, I welcome the opportunity to be around Elena. "Also, I am not asking you to break up with your girlfriend nor will I ever. I want nothing to do with your relationship. Whatever goes on between you two is your business, not mine."

"Fair enough." It's all I can ask for right now.

Elena's POV

It's the Monday after the party and it's my first day at Salvatore Enterprises and I still haven't mentioned to Damon that I am working there. I keep thinking that maybe I should have told him but I'm trying to keep everything separate. I have my job which has nothing to do with him as he is not in my line of command, that's Stefan. Then we have this friendship that we are slowly working on and I'm still trying to decide if I want or not. Then I'm trying to stay away from Damon at the same time. I can't let my walls down. If I do, I might not survive it.

For all of my being mad at him, I still find myself insanely attracted to him and just like at the bar, I feel this pull toward him that's more than just attraction. I can't let that side of me out again because once I do, I'm afraid I'll be crushed. I have to keep telling myself that.

Also, I have to say that although I told Damon I didn't care about his relationship with Andie and want nothing to do with it, I am insanely curious about what circumstances he's talking about. I wonder if Caroline knows. Although, I'm sure if she does, she'll tell me.

Regardless of all of that, I have to get my ass moving and out the door. I take one last look in the mirror in my childhood bedroom to make sure I look presentable. I have on a black pencil skirt, a simple white blouse and black heels. My hair is in a high ponytail with minimal makeup. I want to look like the adult that I am and not the little girl I feel like. This is my first big girl job and I want to make a good impression. Not thinking about Damon at all. Nope not a bit.

As I'm driving to work, I think about me and Caroline finally getting our own place now that I have a job and her business is taking off. Of course, knowing her she'll be living with Stefan before the week's out but I hope not. I am so ready to live on my own and with my best friend. I've done a lot of thinking and we should rent a townhouse instead of an apartment. An apartment is so college. Been there, done that.

When I arrive at Salvatore Enterprises, I notice I am a few minutes early so I take some time to compose myself before making my way into the building. I can do this. This is my job and my way to be independent and an adult. Damon does not factor into this one way or the other. He is just another person. No big deal.

My boss, Brady, meets me at reception and then takes me to my desk. I have a cubicle in the marketing department. I'm excited to have my own desk and I like people so the cubicle is great. He then takes me on a tour of the office and introduces me to the other employees.

When he shows me the break room, of course, Damon is in there. We walk in just as he is taking a sip of coffee and when he sees me he almost spits his coffee everywhere. Not telling him was definitely worth his reaction. It's all I can do not to laugh out loud. And if I thought he was hot at the bar, he is even hotter, if possible, in his suit.

"Damon, are you okay?" Brady asks. Damon just nods. "Well, Damon this is Elena Gilbert, she is going to be writing and editing for my department. Elena Gilbert, this is Damon Salvatore, one of our vice presidents."

"We've met. But it's good to see you again, Damon."

"You two know each other?" Brady questions.

"We met last week. My brother introduced us and we have some mutual friends." Damon is being oddly quiet. I must have really shocked him.

"Great. Well, let's finish your tour and get started with your training." Brady starts to usher me out the door.

"I'll see you later, Damon." I say over my shoulder and wink at Damon as I follow Brady out the door. They felt so good.

The rest of the tour goes by without incident. One of our last stops is Jeremy's office and I'm happy to see that we our workspaces are close together. Not that I need to be close to my little brother but it's nice to know there's a friendly face nearby.

Once we make it back to my desk, Brady gets my computer and email set up. After that he leaves me to check out the company's website, read through the policies, and finish my hiring paperwork and to settle in. After a couple of hours, I receive an email from Damon asking me to come to his office. I debate whether to go or not. Is this appropriate? Should I go? Is this a conversation we should be having here? I really do want to keep our work lives separate from our personal lives but we do need to talk about it.

After debating for a few minutes, I decide to go and he emails me with directions to his office. Once I get there, his secretary, Rose, tells me to go on in. He's sitting behind his desk typing on his computer. I leave the door open but when he sees it's me, he gets up and closes it.

"Do you think that's necessary?" I ask as he sits back down.

"I do. Why don't you take a seat?" Damon seems nervous. I can't have this effect on him, can I? It's just me.

"Okay. What did you want to see me about?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were our newest employee?" He's staring so intently with those bright blue eyes that I can almost lose myself in.

"I didn't think there was any reason to. Obviously, the bar was a one-time thing. If you had called me, I probably would have told you then. After talking on Saturday, I just didn't see the point."

"So you blindsided me?"

"I admit that I debated whether to tell you or not. I can say that the look on your face was definitely worth not telling you." I smile at the memory and so does he.

"Yeah, I was pretty shocked. So where does this leave us now in the grand scheme of things?"

"I don't think it changes anything. We don't really work together so there's no reason for us to cross paths that often so I think we just keep work separate from our personal lives. If we see each other outside of work, there is no reason for it to have anything to do with here."

"See each other as friends?" Damon smirks. While I love his smirk, I also really want to slap it off his face sometimes.

"Yes, as friends. We agreed to try to be friends, nothing more."

"At least not right now."

"Damon," God, he's exasperating. "It's not right. You have Andie and I am trying to start my life."

"It's right. It's just not right now."

"I need to get back to my desk." I flee so I don't have to look into his eyes anymore. How is this going to work if he's going to say things like that? No matter how much I don't want him to have an effect on me, I start letting myself think crazy things when he does. Like if he does break up with Andie, will we go out? If we do, will I ever be able to trust him? Will I still be able to work here? Those are thoughts for another day. They don't matter today.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you all for being so patient with Damon and Elena in this story. I know that it's hard when they're not together and one of them is with someone else but I promise it will pay off in the end. I think this chapter has them moving in the right direction. While we still don't know what happened (Sorrybout'ya, I loved your guesses!), we're getting closer and our couple is getting closer._

 _Also, thank you guys for the reviews, favorites and follows!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries_

JOD: Chapter 4

It's been about a month since Elena started working at Salvatore Enterprises and surprisingly, or not, nothing much has changed. I'm still seeing Andie although not nearly as much as BE, before Elena. Our new social group has been spending almost the entire weekends together at the Gilbert house so I haven't been around here. Last weekend, we moved Caroline and Elena into their townhouse and tonight they are hosting a housewarming party. Stefan and I are going over there while Andie goes to dinner with her parents.

Right now, Stefan and I are sitting in the parlor having a drink before leaving while Andie is getting ready upstairs.

"Damon, before we leave, I think we need to talk." Stefan says out of nowhere. Not really out of nowhere, I've been waiting for this conversation, but I didn't think it would be tonight.

"Well, I'm all tingly. Don't keep me in suspense."

"Damon, be serious. I know that for the past few weeks we've all been hanging out and that leaves you and Elena together a lot."

"What's your point, Stefan?" Although, I already know his point. He just needs to get on with it.

"How long are you going to let this go on?"

"Let what go on?"

"It's been a year, Damon. You cannot keep living your life based around what happened a year ago." Stefan insists. "The longer you put this off the harder it's going to be. You are not happy with Andie and she knows something's going on."

"I know it's been a year. I can count time and Andie doesn't know shit because there's nothing to know." At this time, I hear Andie's heels on the stairs and know she'll be in the parlor in a minute.

"Hey, Stefan." Andie say as she comes in. "Damon, I'm leaving now. Are you sure you don't want to come with me? My parents would love to see you."

"No. Stefan and I are going to Caroline's for her housewarming."

"That's Elena's housewarming too, right?" Andie is staring at me waiting for my answer. Shit, maybe Stefan's right.

"Yeah. We moved them last weekend. Since Stefan is dating Caroline, I thought I would go with him." Shit, Damon, remember simple explanations are better. Not that I'm not going to break it off with her but I don't want to get her suspicions aroused before she goes to dinner with her parents.

"Uh uh. Well, just know that we'll miss you at dinner." Andie leans down and gives me a quick kiss. Once she's gone, Stefan starts again.

"Do you want to tell me again how she doesn't know anything's going on? She has never questioned you about what you do when she's not around."

"That's one of the reasons we've made it this far. We don't question each other." I start turning recent conversations over in my head. "She does ask about Elena a lot." 

"I know you don't want to but you are going to have do something about this situation sooner rather than later. Right now, you're just putting off the inevitable and stringing them both along."

"I'm not stringing Elena along. We're just friends, which is what she wanted and I'm respecting that." I explain although I don't know why I feel the need to explain myself to Stefan. This is really none of his fucking business.

"Just friends?" Stefan questions. "Is that why you are always whispering to her and she's always giggling? Then there's the snuggling."

"We don't snuggle." I take offense at that. Damon Salvatore does not snuggle, although if he were going to, Elena would be the preferred choice. "While we're watching movies and you guys are snuggling that leaves me and Elena. I might put my arm around her shoulder and she might lay her head on my chest."

"Right and that's not snuggling."

"Stefan, drop it. Let's just go to this housewarming and get it over with."

"Did you get the bottle of wine for the girls?"

"I got two. One for each of them."

On the drive over, I mull over my conversation with Stefan. I would never admit it to him but he made some very good points. How long am I going to stay in a relationship I haven't wanted to be in long BE? Aren't I hurting Andie more by not letting go? How about Elena? This all has to be hurting her regardless of what she says.

I'm not the man I thought I was or want to be if I continue on this way. If I keep this up, I don't deserve either one, not that I deserve either one in the first place. How is Elena going to trust me if I let this continue on? I'm the only one who can put all three of us out of our misery.

The bad things is I don't feel guilty for what happened that night at the bar or any of the countless times Elena and I have hugged or, for lack of a better word, snuggled on the couch. I only feel guilty when I'm with Andie. That tells me all I need to know. I just have to grow some balls and rip the proverbial band aid off.

EPOV

Caroline, Bonnie and I are putting the finishing touches on our housewarming. We have decided on hor dourves and cocktails for an elegant spread and the three of us have our little black dresses on. Caroline's event planning has made this so easy to put together although I think that Bonnie is trying to figure out how she got roped into hosting with us. After all, she doesn't live with us anymore. But Caroline's hard to say no to. I should know.

While setting up, my thoughts turn to Damon as they normally do these days. I know that I told him that we couldn't be anything more than friends as long as he is with Andie but just being friends gets harder and harder. I also know that I told him I didn't want to know what's going on in their relationship but I am really curious as to how he is so sure that he and I are right and that we are going to happen, eventually.

I had Caroline and Jenna scope out the situation with both Stefan and Ric but the only thing they came back with was something happened a year ago and that something has made things difficult for Damon. They also confirmed that Damon and Andie have never had a truly traditional relationship. They have both done pretty much what they wanted to throughout the relationship other than going out with anyone else and they have never checked with the other one when they wanted to do something.

That makes me a feel a little better about my role in all of this. From what I understand, they had problems way before me but it still doesn't lessen my guilt. Even if there was trouble already, am I the catalyst that caused it to all fall apart? Am I emotionally the other woman, though not physically? If we were having a physical relationship, would he still be breaking up with her or would he have everything he wanted?

I shake these thoughts out of my head. Damon's not like that. If I've learned anything about him over the last few weeks, it's that he's loyal. I know that sounds strange to say about a guy who's doing what he's seemingly doing but I honestly believe that he's doing the best he can right now. Maybe I'm naïve but it's how I feel.

During my musings, our guests have been arriving. First, Jeremy with Jenna and Ric and then the Salvatore brothers. Damon comes into the kitchen while I'm finishing up. Be still my heart. Damon looks as gorgeous as ever if not more so. While I love his suits at the office, there's nothing like him in a black button down with dark wash jeans. Elena, you are not going there tonight.

"Elena, we brought two bottles of wine to help stock your wine fridge." Damon say as he hands me the first bottle. "This is one is for Caroline and she can share or open whenever she wants to. The second bottle is specifically for you and I want you to save it. It is a 1992 Chablis Blanchots Reveneau."

"The year I was born." I say as I take both bottles to put in the wine fridge. "Is there an occasion I'm saving it for?"

"You're saving it for me and you when the time is right." I really wish he wouldn't say things like that and look at me this intently. It makes me hope and want things that I'm not entirely sure will ever happen.

"Damon," I start but before I can finish he places his index finger on my lips.

"Don't say anything else. You said you didn't want to know anything or be involved in any decision making and I promised to keep it that way. I'm sticking to my promise. This is just another promise that there will be a right time."

I don't say anything else but I wrap my arms around his waist and bury my head in his shoulder. I know this is one of those boundaries that I shouldn't cross but I can't help it. I hate being in this position and if things don't work out, it'll destroy me but right now I'm not thinking about any of that. I'm only thinking how good it feels to be in his arms again. We only break apart when we hear a cough.

"Sorry to interrupt but I wanted to see if there's anything you need help with, Elena." Stefan asks.

"No, I'm fine. I think we have everything under control." I respond.

"I'm going to go find Ric and some bourbon." Damon says and extricates himself from the situation.

"Elena, can I talk to you for a minute?" Stefan asks. I'm perplexed but nod anyway. "I know we don't know each other that well but I'm hoping that I can speak freely with you."

"Of course. I'm assuming this has to do with Damon?"

"Damon and you. Elena, I know Damon hasn't done anything in this situation the way that he should have but don't give up on him."

"Sure, Stefan. I won't but I hate being in this situation." I say as I fidget nervously and look down at my feet. "I never thought I would be in this situation and I certainly never would have thought I would be the other woman."

"Elena, you are not the other woman." Stefan says emphatically and comes over to put his arm around my shoulder. "I don't think of you that way and neither does Damon. You two just met at the wrong time and he is not cheating on Andie with you."

"Thanks, Stefan. That means a lot to me." I say as I return his embrace. It's so good to know that Stefan doesn't see me the way that I do. Maybe I'm making more out of this than there is. Either way, we need to get out there so we can get this housewarming started. "Okay, enough seriousness. Let's get this party started."


	5. Chapter 5

_So, this chapter should have been included in Chapter 4. It would have rounded that chapter out. But I got in a hurry to get it published and didn't think about the continuity of the story. I hope this chapter starts to make up for that. There's an Author's Note at the end also. I am loving the reviews for this story! You guys are awesome and keep me on my toes._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries_

Chapter 5:

The next afternoon, I am enjoying the solitude of our townhouse while Caroline is working at the Lockwood Mansion. Mrs. Lockwood had a formal luncheon that she had Caroline plan and execute. I've done my yoga and now I'm binge watching Scandal on NetFlix while working on Caroline's marketing. I checked with Stefan and it's not a conflict of interest for me to keep working for Care while working for Salvatore Enterprises since they aren't in the event planning business.

For the first time, I can fully sympathize with Olivia Pope except that I vow to not spend years waiting for Damon like she has Fitz. Not going to happen. I'm too young to waste away like that. Nor will I jump into another relationship just to make not having Damon hurt any less. One of the major differences between Damon and Fitz is Damon isn't married and he's not the president. Those are huge obstacles. Whatever's going on with Damon can't be that big.

"Elena!" Caroline calls as she comes in the front door.

"I'm in here." I call back, pausing my show. Caroline enters the room and plops down next to me on the couch and kicks her heels off. "How was the luncheon?"

"The same old same old. You know nothing ever changes in Mystic Falls but something did happen that I need to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

"Not yet. We're waiting on two more people." Caroline's texting as she's talking.

"Who?" I ask, hoping the desperation does not come out through my voice. I want it to be Stefan and Damon.

"You'll see in a few minutes and Damon is not one of them."

"Am I that transparent?"

"You are but only because I know you so well."

We spend the next few minutes chatting and gossiping about the latest happenings in Mystic Falls. We talk about how strange it is to be back for good or at least for now. Just as we are getting to the good stuff, Bonnie and Jenna come in.

"Is this who we are waiting on?" I ask. Care nods. "What's going on? Why are all of you here and not with your boyfriends?"

"Okay, don't be mad." Caroline starts as she takes my hands. "But we are having a much needed frien-ervention."

"Why?" Although I know why. I'm just not willing to admit it.

"Sweetie, you have been in this funk since the pool party." Jenna says as she sits down on the other side of me. Bonnie squeezes in beside Caroline.

"We are worried about you." Bonnie adds. "It's not like you to sit around and wait for a guy."

"I'm not waiting for anyone." I protest, even to my own ears it sounds weak. "I'm just not dating right now. I recently moved home from college, started a new job and moved in with my best friend. I don't have time for dating."

"Elena, you don't have time to date anyone because you're always with us so you can hang out with Damon."

"Caroline, that's not true."

"Elena, this is us you're talking to." Jenna says. "We see you and we see Damon and we know what's going on."

"If there's ever anyone you can be honest with it's the three of us." Bonnie assures me.

"Okay, okay. If it will make you all happy, I admit it. I'm waiting on Damon to break up with Andie. There I said it."

"Okay, that's the first step. You're admitting you have a problem."

"Caroline, did you get a psychology degree while I wasn't looking?" Okay, that's a little snarky for me but I think they are being ridiculous.

"I've watched a lot of daytime talk shows over the years and I picked up a few things. Stop sidetracking me."

"We think you should start dating." Jenna says. "You don't have to get serious with anyone if you still want to wait for Damon but you need to get out there."

"You don't know when Damon is going to break up with Andie." Bonnie points out. "It could be today or it could be a month from now. Who knows?"

"Stefan seemed to think it would be soon when I talked to him last night."

"Elena, I love Stefan but he's always going to give his brother the benefit of the doubt. Do you want to hang your happiness on what Stefan thinks?" Caroline asks.

"And Damon gave me a bottle of wine last night from the year I was born to save for when the time is right."

"So, you save the bottle but date in the meantime." Jenna offers as a compromise. "The wine was sweet but what was the point if you can't drink it now?"

"To give her false hope and to keep her hanging on." Bonnie explains. "I'm sorry but Elena, you are letting him run over you and make your decisions for you and you haven't even gone out on date one."

"Let's say I wanted to date, who would I date?" I ask. I don't want to jump into a relationship but maybe I could go out. It might spur Damon to take action sooner rather than later. Oh God, I do sound desperate.

"That's what happened at the Lockwood's today. Do you remember Tyler's uncle? The one that moved to Florida?"

"Vaguely." My brow furrows as I try to remember. "Jenna, didn't you go to school with him?"

"I did. We graduated together."

"Anyway, Mason's in Mystic Falls for a few weeks and then he's going to some surfer thing in California."

"What does this have to do with me?" Is she serious? Does she really want me to go out with Mason Lockwood? I barely know him.

"You have a date with him tonight."

"No I don't."

"He is picking you up at 6:30 and taking you to the Mystic Grill for dinner and pool. You have three hours to wrap your head around this."

"Caroline, no."

"Elena," Jenna says calmly and takes my hands. "It's one date and he's not even going to be in town for that long. Mason is a really great guy who is the definition of not serious."

"You should really go, Elena. Go out. Have some fun and relax. There's no pressure." Bonnie adds.

"Okay, if it's that important to you guys, I'll go." I concede. Maybe they're right and I just need a night out and if Mason is only in town for a few weeks then that's perfect. No pressure.

 _Meanwhile, across town…_

DPOV

Today's the day. After yesterday, I don't think there's any way in good conscience I can go on like this. Stefan's right, a decision has to be made and I've made it. I have to let Andie go. She needs to get on with her life and find someone who can love her the way she deserves to be loved. That person is never going to be me and was never going to be me. Regardless of what happens with Elena, the first step is breaking it off with Andie.

Right now is also the perfect time. Stefan is out playing golf and Andie isn't working today. For some reason, she's hanging around here instead of going home. Lord knows I haven't given her a reason to be here. I've been distancing myself as much as possible. Currently, she's downstairs in the library doing research for a story while I'm hiding in the bedroom. Okay, let's get this over with.

"Andie, how's the research going?" I ask as I walk into the library. She's curled up in a chair in front of the fire with her laptop so I sit in the chair opposite.

"Not great. I was just about to give up and see if you wanted to do something. We haven't spent anytime together lately."

"I know. That's what I came down to talk to you about." I take one of her hands. Damn, this is hard.

"Damon, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

"I think that we've come to the end of our relationship."

"What?" Andie snatches her hand back and sits up. "What are you talking about and where is this coming from?"

"I think it's time that we both move on and this is something that's been coming for awhile. I know you've had a rough time since the accident and I don't want to hurt you but I don't see a future in this."

"I've had a hard time since the accident? Of course I've had a hard time! I was driving when my bother and I were sideswiped and he was killed. Who wouldn't have a hard time with that?" Andie gets up and starts pacing. " I wouldn't have made it through that if I hadn't had you by my side. My parents were grieving for their son so they couldn't be there for me. It's only now that we're able to communicate in a meaningful way again."

"I know and I am so glad that I was here for you but we can't go on like this anymore. You deserve to find someone who will love you the way you deserve to be loved."

"Love. I thought you were that person." She turns to look at me. "Does this have anything to do with Elena?"

"What?" I ask, genuinely surprised.

"Elena. Ever since you met her you've been acting weird. You're never around anymore and you're always out with the guys and their new girlfriends."

"Andie, that's how it's always been. You work in the evenings and on weekends, covering for everyone, and I hang out with my friends."

"No. It's different now. Even when I'm off, you're not home."

"Newsflash, Andie, this isn't you're home." I blanch at that. I didn't mean to say it like that. "I'm so sorry. You know I've always told you to consider this your home too."

"No, I get it. I'm not wanted anymore. Instead you're chasing after that juvenile piece of ass. Have you been fucking her this whole time? You sure as hell aren't fucking me!"

At this, I am out of my chair. "I'm not fucking anyone and this has nothing to do with Elena. We are breaking up because it's the right thing to do for both of us."

"Let me guess. Elena won't fuck you until you break up with me because of some lame ass girl code she believes in."

"Enough about Elena. As I said, she has nothing to do with this."

"Let's try this one. We break up. You leave me here to pack my stuff while you run to her."

"Andie, I am not running to Elena. Ric, Jeremy and I are going to the Grill and Stefan is meeting us when he gets done golfing." I explain. I thought it would be a good idea to let her pack with Stefan or I hovering. "Please try to understand."

"Damon, I understand perfectly. You're right about one thing. I definitely deserve better than you." Andie stalks over to me. "I'll pack my stuff and leave tonight but remember one thing. When you get bored with Elena, you cannot and will not come crying to me. I'll leave my key on the table in the foyer."

With that, she turns and walks out of the room. Well, it could've gone worse but it could've gone better. She is right about one thing. I had planned on running to straight to Elena when I got the balls to do this but it doesn't feel right to do that just yet. We're going to have guys' night and then I'll talk to Elena tomorrow.

 _Okay, so finally he "ripped the proverbial band-aid off" and of course on the same day that Elena has a date at the same place the guys are meeting. What's going to happen at the Grill when they see each other? I know I keep throwing obstacles but hold on. We've made some progress._


	6. Chapter 6

_I don't have a lot to say about this chapter other than it covers the date. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks everyone for the reviews, follows and favorites. You guys are the best._

Chapter 6

EPOV

"Caroline, no." I vehemently say as she pulls a short skirt out of my closet. We're in my bedroom where she is unsuccessfully trying to dress me in something slutty, unsuccessfully because I don't own slutty clothes and I am refusing to wear anything slutty. Jenna and Bonnie are watching the exchange from my bed.

"Would you cooperate please?" Caroline has her hands on her hips and if I wasn't so mad at her, I would think it's funny.

"I am cooperating. I'm going on the date."

"You could act a little happier about it."

"I'm not happy about it."

"Will you at least give this a chance and be nice to Mason?"

"Caroline, I will be nice to Mason. None of this is his fault. I feel like we're dragging an innocent victim into all of this."

"Elena, nobody thinks this is more than one date." Bonnie says. "Mason doesn't think you're going to get married or anything. It's just a date while he's in town."

"It's okay if you only go out with him once." Jenna points out.

"Can I at least wear jeans?" I ask Caroline.

"Only the pair that shows off your great ass and with your knee high boots."

"Fine." I agree at this point. She has listened to me at least halfway so I'll go with it. I have to admit it does feel good to get dressed up for a date. I just wish it was Damon and not Mason. No sense letting my mind go down that road right now. I have a date to concentrate on.

When Mason picks me up, I realize that I have seen him at Founding Family events throughout the years, even if it was sporadic. It was also when I was very young and he had no concept that I even existed beyond being Grayson and Miranda's daughter.

The conversation flows easily on the drive to the Grill. We know a lot of the same people so we share anecdotes. He is definitely a laid-back surfer but he's also a gentleman and very easy on the eyes. However, he's not Damon. I try not to make comparisons but I can't help it. While talking with Mason is fun and easy, there's not an underlying current of electricity flowing between us like there is with Damon. I can't get lost in Mason's blue eyes like I can Damon's. I keep telling myself it's one date and I can go out while Damon is home with Andie.

DPOV

Ric, Jeremy and I are at sitting at the bar at the Grill drinking and waiting on Stefan to finish his golf game and join us. I know I should be calling Elena to let her know what happened but I feel like that would be disrespectful to both women. I don't want it to seem like I'm jumping from one woman to the next. While Andie wasn't completely off base about Elena, she wasn't the only factor in our breakup. Before Andie and her brother were in the car wreck, I thought the relationship had ran its course but I couldn't break her heart. Losing her brother, especially since she was driving, nearly sent her over the age. At the time I couldn't add to that. Then being together became the status quo and there didn't seem to be a good time to end it or I stuck my head in the sand. Either way, that's how life was until Elena.

"Don't you think you should call Elena?" Ric says for the thousandth time.

"Once again, no. I just broke up with Andie who is already convinced Elena was single-handedly responsible for the breakup. I'm not giving her any more ammunition." I take a drink of bourbon. "Besides, Elena would probably feel better about it if I wait until tomorrow."

"Dude, as her brother, I think the sooner the better." Jeremy adds. "She's just hanging out with the girls tonight. You should definitely call her."

"I don't think she's hanging out with the girls." Ric says. "She just walked in and she's not alone."

"Definitely not the girls." Jeremy says as he and I both turn to look at Elena.

"That's Mason Lockwood." I exclaim. Fuck me. "What is she doing with Mason Lockwood?"

"No idea. Jenna just said they were all hanging out at Elena and Caroline's and we were not to disturb them."

"Bonnie basically said the same thing."

"I'm calling Stefan. I bet Blondie is behind this." I dial Stefan's number and he picks up on the first ring.

"Damon, I'm on my way-"

"Never mind that. Do you know anything about Elena and Mason Lockwood going out?" I interrupt.

"No. Caroline just said they were hanging out at their place and for us to have a guys' night. Why?"

"Elena just walked in with Mason Lockwood and I think they're on a date."

"So? She's on a date. She's allowed to do that. You haven't broken up with Andie."

"That's the thing. I did this afternoon. She's currently packing her stuff and getting out of our house."

"Shit."

"Exactly. Can you call Caroline and see if you can find out what's going on?" I know I shouldn't be this upset but, fuck, I have the worst timing.

"Sure. I'll call you back."

While waiting for Stefan to call back, the three of us sit and stare at Elena and Mason. Luckily for us, we have a clear view of them but they don't have the same vantage point. Within minutes Stefan has called back.

"Okay, so Caroline had a function at the Lockwood Mansion today and ran into Mason. She thought it would be a good idea for Elena and Mason to go out tonight. She didn't think you were breaking up with Andie anytime soon and she thought Elena needed to go out."

"Damn it. I should have called Elena the second I broke up with Andie."

"You didn't call Elena?"

"No, I didn't and here we are."

"Well, I'll be there in a few minutes. Do not make an ass of yourself in the meantime."

EPOV

After receiving our drinks, mine a glass of white wine and a beer for Mason, and ordering our dinner, I excuse myself to go to the bathroom. On the way, to my shock, I run into Ric, Damon and Jeremy at the bar. I stop so fast I almost trip over my own feet.

"Hey Ric, Jere, Damon." I greet each one. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're having guys' night." Jeremy supplies while Damon just stares at me. "What are you doing here?"

"Just having dinner." I explain hastily, not wanting to get into anything with all three of them. "Well, excuse me, I was headed to the ladies room."

That wasn't the least bit awkward at all. What was with Damon? He can't be upset that I'm on a date. Can he? No, I quickly decide, he can't. I am single and I am allowed to date. If he can't handle that, then he needs to do something about it, like breakup with his girlfriend. As I'm contemplating all of this while looking in the bathroom mirror, I hear the door open.

"Elena," Damon says and scares the crap out of me.

"Damon! What are you doing in here?"

"This." He cups my cheeks in his palms and kisses me. Oh God, I forgot what a great kisser he is. My knees have instantly gone weak but I try to maintain my composure and break the kiss.

"Damon, you can't kiss me." He's still cupping my face and I am now holding onto his wrists. "You haven't broken up with Andie and I'm on a date."

"I have broken up with Andie and I don't care that you are on a date."

"Damon, if you broke up with Andie wouldn't you have called me?" At this, he releases my face, causing me to release his wrists. He turns his back to me and runs his hands through his hair.

"I did break up with her. I just hadn't called you yet." Damon explains as he turns back around.

"Why wouldn't you call me?"

"Andie accused me of only breaking up with her because you won't sleep with me unless I break up with her." At the look on my face, he pulls me into his arms where I bury my head in his chest. "We both know that's not true but it still bothered me. I felt guilty about calling you while she was packing her stuff and I had already planned on meeting the guys here so I took the easy way out again and decided not to call you."

"Damon, I'm sorry that she didn't take the breakup well but you can always call me. I still would have given you your space and I wouldn't be on this date."

"Well, you can always end the date early and leave with me." Damon looks at me hopefully. "How about we get out of here and go back to your place and open that bottle of wine?"

"Damon, I can't do that." I hate to tell him no but I'm on a date.

"Yes, you can." Damon insists.

"Damon, I will not walk out on my date just because you broke up with Andie." I explain, hating the look on his face. "You were right. You need tonight with your friends. Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow night? We'll talk everything out and we can open that bottle of wine then."

"On one condition."

"What?"

"You let me make dinner."

"I can deal with that."

"Elena, please give us a chance." Damon is so hard to resist when he looks into my eyes like he is now. It's a wonder that I've held out this long and it takes everything I've got not to give in to him.

"Damon, I promise we'll talk about that tomorrow night." I try to reassure him. "Tonight is just me getting out of the house and having dinner with an old friend while technically on a date."

"You should probably get back out there before he thinks you've deserted him."

"I should. I'll go out first." I can't leave without kissing him on the cheek.

When I go back out, I find Jeremy and Ric sitting with Mason. I have dragged an innocent victim in to the drama that is my life.

"Elena, where have you been?" Jeremy asks when I walk up to the table, where he and Ric are sitting across from Mason.

"I went to the bathroom. I told you that." I am silently pleading with him to shut up.

"Where's Damon?" Jeremy asks, clearly not picking up on my silent pleading.

"Jeremy, how would I know where he's at?" I counter, just as Damon walks up to us.

"Where who is?" Damon asks. How do I get myself into these situations?

"You." Jeremy answers.

"I just came back from the bathroom." Damon answers. At this point, Mason has a very puzzled look on his face.

"Okay, that's it. Damon, Jeremy and Ric back to the bar while Mason and I eat dinner."

Jeremy and Ric slide out of the booth allowing me to slide in. Then they actually listen and go back to the bar where I thankfully can't see them.

"Is there something about you and Damon I should know?" Mason asks, once I get settled back in.

"So you picked up on that?"

"It was kind of hard to miss." Mason points out.

"Do you want me to be completely honest?" I ask. When he nods, I launch into the story. "Long story short, Damon and I met about a month ago but he was involved with someone. Caroline has been after me to get out of the house so when she met you today it seemed like fate. At the same time, Damon broke it off with his girlfriend. He didn't tell me and my friends didn't tell their boyfriends, Damon's friends and my brother, that you and I were going out." I pause to let all that soak in.

At that moment, the waitress brings out our dinner and leaves when she makes sure that we don't need anything at the moment.

"When Caroline talked to me about you today, she said you weren't looking for anything serious. I'm guessing it's more accurate to say that you were only looking to be serious with one person and he wasn't available."

"Mason, I am so sorry that you got dragged into this. I shouldn't have let Caroline talk me into this."

"Elena, it's okay. I'm not looking for anything serious either." Mason assures me. "How about we finish dinner and then I take you home?"

"That sounds great. I want you to know that I have really enjoyed meeting you, again, and hanging out with you."

"You too."

When I get home all three girls are sitting on the coach. Before I can get in the room, Caroline jumps up and nearly knocks me over trying to apologize.

"Elena, I am so sorry. I would never have made that date for you if I had known."

"Care, it's okay. I'm not mad. It's actually kind of funny." I assure her. I collapse on our armchair while she claims her spot on the coach. "Although, I nearly tripped and killed myself when I saw the guys sitting at the bar. Did you all know they were going to the Grill?"

"No but we should have." Jenna says. "That's where they usually go but they didn't tell us and we didn't really give them a chance too."

"The only thing I knew was they were having drinks after Stefan got finished with golf." Bonnie agrees.

"Stefan didn't even know that Damon was breaking up with Andie today. Apparently, though, he had a talk with Damon before the housewarming yesterday and I guess he took it to heart."

"Damon followed me into the bathroom and kissed me while I was on my date."

"Was he staking his claim?" Bonnie asks.

"I don't think so. I think it was more that we could finally kiss and he couldn't wait anymore."

"But why didn't he call you when he broke up with Andie?" Jenna asks.

"She accused him of only breaking up with her because I won't sleep with him as long as he's with her."

"Of course you wouldn't but that's not the only reason." Caroline says.

"I guess. He's going to make dinner here tomorrow night and then we're going to talk everything out."

"Stefan and I can have date night then so we'll be out of the way." 

"Then when I came back from the bathroom, Ric and Jeremy were sitting with Mason. Then Jeremy gave me the third degree about where I was gone so long, had I seen Damon and then when Damon came out, he asked Damon where he had been."

"Jeremy did that?" Bonnie asks, incredulously.

"I guess he's closer to Damon than I thought. Anyway, Mason picked up on me and Damon so I explained to him what was going on."

"How did that go?" Jenna asks.

"It was fine. Okay, enough about me. What are you all doing?"

"Watching Caroline's favorite movie." Bonnie smiles.

"The Notebook again?" I laugh. Then we spend the rest of the night watching movies and slumbering it.


	7. Chapter 7

_I apologize for the delay in posting. This is very dialogue heavy but they had to have the talk. This is all Elena's POV. I hope that it doesn't disappoint and I hope to make the next chapter have more action. Thanks for all the support!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries_

Just One Dance Chapter 7

After dinner, while I open the bottle of wine, Damon builds a fire in the living room. I carry the two glasses and the bottle to the living room to join him. For a few minutes we just sit in front of the fire sipping our wine and watching the flames in the fire grow bigger. I can only hope that it's a metaphor for whatever this fire is between Damon and I.

"Where do you want to start?" Damon asks.

"Why don't I begin and explain why kissing you that night was such a big deal to me and not something I ever do?"

"Sounds good."

"Damon, I turned 23 in June and I have had exactly two relationships in my life. I had one boyfriend in high school, Matt Donavon."

"The bartender at the Grill?"

"Yeah, he was the quarterback in high school and I was a cheerleader." At the look on Damon's face, I have to laugh. "I know, no stereotypes there and I wasn't head cheerleader. That was Caroline."

"I just have a hard time picturing you with him." Damon clarifies. "Don't get me wrong. He seems like a great guy but you are so full of fire."

"You're not far off on what happened. At the end of my junior year, my parents were killed in a car accident and everything changed."

"That's understandable."

"Probably but we were already having issues. He just didn't know it. He kept talking about us going to the same college, getting married and having two kids, one just like him and one just like me."

"You didn't want that?"

"I wanted it someday with someone but I knew that it wasn't going to be him. Only, I hadn't told him yet. When my parents were killed, something in me changed and I couldn't hurt him anymore so I let him go."

"How did he take it?"

"Not well. It was years before we really became friends again which was what upset me the most. We had been friends just as long as Caroline, Bonnie and I had been friends. I hated losing one of my oldest and best friends."

"Speaking as a guy and one that hopes to be with you someday, sooner rather than later," Damon does his eyebrow thing and it makes me blush. I don't know how I'm going to resist him. "I imagine it would be hard to love you and then lose you especially if he had his whole life planned around you. Although that is a lot of pressure especially when you lose your parents."

"Exactly. So I spent my senior year dealing with my parents' death, focusing on school and helping Jenna with Jeremy. He's not that much younger than me but losing our parents was a lot harder on him. Then Bonnie, Caroline and I went to Whitmore and I met Liam Davis, my only other boyfriend."

"What was he like?"

"Cocky and arrogant, a little like someone else I know."

"I have reason to be."

"We'll see. Anyway, Liam was a pre-med student and we met at a party and started dating. We dated through most of college but when it came time for graduation we both knew it was over. He was headed to med school and I was coming home."

"That was it?"

"Pretty much it. Neither one of us was willing to change what we wanted so we split up. Also, I wouldn't have let him give up med school for Mystic Falls. That was really when I realized we were over."

"Maybe you knew something better was waiting here."

"Maybe but you should really understand that making out with strangers in bars is not my thing. I had a small wild streak before my parents died but after that I got really serious. I would go out with Bonnie and Caroline but I always came home alone."

"So what was different the night we met?"

"I'm still not sure I can put it into words but there was a pull between us that I've never felt before. It was like I was tethered to you and fighting it would be useless."

"I felt it too. I still feel it." Damon says as he takes my hand and rubs circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. It's so soothing and it would be so easy to get lost in this feeling.

"Honestly, I probably would have gone home with you that night with very little hesitation. I was caught up in you and the Bacardi." I'm blushing because I can't believe I'm being this forward with my feelings. I'm usually very reserved. I decide it must be the wine. "Of course, little did I know you had a girlfriend waiting at home." Back to reality.

"Nice transition to me. I have never really had a serious relationship and I think that's because I had to take over the business right out of college after Dad died. I never had the time or wanted to put the time into a relationship."

"What about Andie?" I ask, confused. Wasn't she a serious relationship?

"Andie was different. When we started dating, there was never any expectation of it being long term or a match made in heaven. There were never any strings attached or anything like that. We went out when we wanted to and that suited both of our careers."

"But you were together for long term." I protest.

"We were but not for any reason that you think." Damon lets go of my hand and rises to start pacing. "The relationship, for lack of a better word, had just about ran its course. Like you with Matt, I needed to break things off and hadn't got around to it. Then, Andie was driving to her parents' house with her little brother when they were broadsided on the passenger side."

"Oh no." I gasp.

"It was horrible. Her brother wasn't killed instantly but he died later that night in surgery. Andie escaped with only minor physical injuries but she was extremely close to her brother, a lot like you and Jeremy."

"Damon, I feel so bad for her." I can't imagine losing Jeremy at all much less in a car accident with me driving even if it wasn't my fault. It would be devastating and I suddenly feel a rush of empathy for Andie.

"And she went through most of it without her parents. She felt guilty for surviving and couldn't open herself up to share their grief. I couldn't add to her pain when I was all she had." Damon stops pacing and turns to look at me. "So for a long time I put my feelings aside and helped her through her grief and while it's not something she'll ever be over she has learned to deal with it."

"Didn't she go to dinner with her parents on Friday?" They must be close now.

"For the past couple of months, they have been reaching out to her and trying to mend the bridge between them. Andie has been doing her part as well by trying to open up. She's not usually open with her feelings."

"It's been a year, Damon. You are allowed to live your life and if you didn't want to live it with Andie, she deserved to know. Just like Matt did." He sits back down on the couch and takes my hand again.

"You are completely right, Elena, and I may have to live with the cost of not doing the right thing at the right time." Damon is looking at me so intently that I squirm under his scrutiny. I know that he's referring to the fact that I might not give him a chance but I don't know that I have that choice. We almost seem inevitable.

"Damon, thank you for telling me about Andie. I don't feel like such a homewrecker now." I look down at our clasped hands.

"Elena, look at me." Damon lifts my chin. "You are not a homewrecker nor should you feel like one. Meeting you made me realize Andie and I were finished a long time ago. Remember how you said you had never felt that way before when you met me?" I nod. "It was the same way for me. If I had the choice, I would have taken you home that night and never let you go."

"If that's how you felt, why has it taken you so long to breakup with Andie?"

"Honestly? I was a coward and I didn't want to rock the boat."

"What changed?"

"Stefan. He pointed some things out to me on Friday evening and I really thought about what I was doing to you, Andie and myself and it wasn't fair to anyone."

"Stefan talked to me on Friday night too."

"Really? And what did my little brother say?"

"He assured me that I wasn't the other woman and that I should wait for you."

"And then Caroline sent you on a date the next night?" Damon growls. I think I might like the possessive side of Damon.

"Yeah, I don't think they were on the same page on this at all. He was protecting you and she was protecting me."

"Now that we have everything out in the open, what do you think about giving us a chance?"

"I think I can do that." He fist pumps and I laugh. "However, I have two requests."

"Okay. Shoot."

"First, that we don't repeat the mistakes of our pasts. If we ever start having doubts or reservations, we talk to each other. No putting it off or acting like everything's fine."

"I can do that. And second?"

"Can we keep this quiet at work? I don't want everyone thinking the new girl is screwing the boss. Let's see how it goes."

I have a request of my own."

"What's that?"

"This." Then Damon kisses me. He starts out slow and tender, really taking the time to trace the lines of my lips with his tongue and then when I open my mouth, he explores the inside just as thoroughly. I finally feel the freedom in how right this really is and now we can be open and honest and that translates into our kisses.

I lay back on the couch and pull Damon down with me. My fingers are running through his hair while he is trailing kisses across my jawline to my right earlobe. I literally shiver at the contact and he is evoking things in me that I didn't dream were possible.

Damon moves down my neck to my cleavage where I thank God that I am wearing a v neck sweater because he pulls my sweater and bra down to free my breasts.

"Elena, you are so beautiful and perfect." Damon pinches one nipple between his thumb and forefinger while sucking on my other nipple. I am already wetter than I have ever been in my life and we are just getting started. What is this man doing to me?

"Damon," I gasp trying to find my breath. "I need to stop." He stops, looks up at me and from that look alone I almost wonder if I'm doing the right thing or not.

"What's wrong?"

"I need to slow down. I can't sleep with you tonight as much as I want to. I'm still sorting through everything and I need time to process. Do you understand?"

Damon moves off of me so I can sit up but he puts his arms around me and pulls me into his side and kisses my on top of my head.

"Of course I understand. I'm incredibly disappointed but I get it and I'm not going anywhere. We'll wait until you're ready. Obviously, I hope it's sooner rather than later."

"I'm sure it will be." I am so happy that he is willing to wait. I need to be sure before I jump into anything and with everything that's happened between us it's not as simple as meeting in a bar and going home with him.

"Is it okay if I hold you for a while?"

"There's no place else I'd rather be." I snuggle in tighter.


	8. Chapter 8

_So I'm finally updating and I hope it's worth the wait. I have myself on a writing schedule now so hopefully that'll make the updates faster. Plus, now that our couple is finally together the fun can begin. This chapter is completely in Damon's POV and next time we'll see how Elena's feeling about everything. Thank you all for being so patient with me and for all the review, favorites and follows._

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries

JOD Chapter 8:

As I go into work the next morning, I realize that I feel lighter than I have in months. There's no unresolved relationships that need ending or stressing over whether Elena is going to give me a chance or not. I'm hoping that I run into her today even though she wants to keep it on the down-low. While I understand her hesitation, I don't want to hide our relationship. However, at this point, anything I can do to make her happy and to reassure her is what I'll do.

Right now, though, it's Monday morning and my first priority is Salvatore Enterprises. While my father and I did not see eye to eye, I'm very proud of the work he and my grandfather did to grow this company. It started out as a timber mill and has turned into an enterprise with three functions which are investment banking, technology and media. Currently, my Uncle Zach, my father's little brother, is the CEO with me in line to take over for him when he retires. I control the investment banking and technology portions with a head of each function in place and Stefan controls the media portion which includes Elena and Jeremy's department.

When my father died, Uncle Zach took over as CEO and I became, in a way, his understudy. I had just finished my MBA at Columbia and was ready to come back home. I quickly learned my way around the company that I had worked for as a teenager and during summer breaks at college but this time I was learning as a leader. I soon carved out a niche for myself and the rest is history as they say.

"Good morning, Rose," I greet my assistant with a huge smile when I arrive at her desk. I am having a hard time keeping the smile off my face. Rose follows me into my office so we can go over my calendar for the day and any projects we have going on.

"My, you're chipper this morning," Rose comments in her British accent as she sits down across from me. "I don't think I've ever seen you this happy on a Monday morning."

"It was a good night and that's all I can say." I smirk at her and as attuned as she is to me, she's knows a girl is the cause.

"Okay, I won't ask but should I send flowers to anyone, Andie maybe?" I should mention that Rose is really good at getting information out of people which is one of the reasons she's such a great assistant. It's tremendously helpful during negotiations with other companies. Also, while I would love to send Elena flowers I'm not ready to tell Rose about her yet.

"No flowers and no it's not Andie. That's it for the information gathering." Once I give her a warning she usually backs off.

After we go over the day's events, Rose offers to go get my coffee but I decline, feeling the need to get up, stretch my legs and hopefully run into a beautiful brunette. As luck would have it, I find her in the break room, alone, and with her back to me making coffee. I take a moment to admire her in her grey slacks that frame her gorgeous ass. Then I walk over to her, put my hands on her hips, lean into her ear and say "Good morning."

"Damon, stop scaring the crap out of me!" Elena shrieks while I laugh. "This is not keeping our relationship quiet at work."

"So it is a relationship?" I raise my eyebrow at her as I pour my coffee.

"I didn't say that. I use the word relationship in its loosest sense. But I am happy to see you." Elena adds quietly.

"I'm happy to see you too and I won't kiss you even though I really want to."

"Me too." She confesses. "I know I shouldn't be asking you this at work and I actually think Stefan is going to mention it to you but everyone is planning to get together for drinks at the Grill after work."

"I was hoping that the two of us could go out." We finally decide to make a go of this and everyone wants to get together, of course.

"I was too but you know how this group functions. We are very codependent and we haven't all been together since Friday night so we have to make up for lost time."

"I think we need to make up for lost time and I am not crazy about seeing Caroline after she set you up with Mason."

"You and Caroline are going to have to get along and you can't be too mad at her. She was only doing what she thought was right."

"Whatever but I still don't have to like it."

This is the time that Rose chooses to come to the break room. She eyes us suspiciously but doesn't say anything. That's when I realize how close we are standing to each other. We both take a couple of steps back which causes Rose to raise her eyebrow.

"I'm going to head back to my desk." Elena says and heads toward the doorway. "Bye, Rose, Damon."

Once she is gone, Rose is on me. "Is that who I'm not sending flowers to?"

"My lips are sealed." I'm still going to deny it even though she's figured it out.

"Oh my god! It is her! Did you finally break up with Andie?"

"Yes. What do you mean, finally?" I ask quizzically. I know she's good but how does she know so much about my personal life?

"I may be overstepping my boundaries but you have been miserable the last couple of months. Also, I know you well enough to know when something is bothering you. Then you come in this morning all smiles. By the way, I think you've scared some of the employees. They think they're getting fired."

Wow. Who knew it showed that much? "What does any of that have to do with Andie?"

"Anyone who knows you could tell you were unhappy with Andie. Plus when Elena came to your office on her first day, I could tell something was going on."

"Okay, I confess since you already seem to know, I broke up with Andie and Elena and I are seeing each other. However, she wants to keep it quiet at work so her coworkers don't give her a hard time."

"That's completely understandable, especially with her brother already working here, but it's going to be hard to hide if you keep meeting in the breakroom."

"Noted."

This morning in the breakroom is the only time I see Elena all day. I usually catch a glimpse of her here and there but not today. I hope she's not actually avoiding me although it's probably best for her. After a long day at work, where Stefan and I worked past everyone else, we finally head over to the Grill to meet the gang.

When we arrive, the girls have already claimed seats at the bar with Jeremy standing behind Bonnie's stool and Ric behind Jenna. Fuck me, Mason is standing beside Elena's stool with his hand on the back of it and she's looking up at him laughing. Before I can say or do anything, I feel Stefan's hand on my arm.

"Damon, he's just talking to her. Do not read more into this than there is." Stefan warns me and I shake him off but I continue standing still.

"Stefan, he is-"

"Damon, I know but we are going to go over there and you are not going to do or say anything you'll regret later."

"Fine." I say through clenched teeth. We finally get to be together and this ass is still in the way. As we make our way over, the gang notices us and starts calling to us. Elena flashes me her brightest smile and it almost stops me in my tracks but instead I do what I have wanted to do all day. I put my hand on the back of her neck and kiss her beautiful lips. When I pull back, she's breathless.

"Hi." She says shyly.

"Hi." I respond. Yes Mason, she's mine and she is definitely not available.

"If this is how you two are going to be now" Caroline starts but stops when I turn to face her.

"Blondie, I wouldn't start anything with me right now."

"Damon, don't." Stefan interjects. "For right now let it go."

"Fine. For now." I look for the bartender and see that it's Matt tonight. Great. Elena's first love. "Donovan, can I get my usual?"

"Damon," Elena grabs my attention again. "You remember Mason?"

"Of course." We shake hands begrudgingly while we size each other up. She may think the date was nothing but I'm not sure the same can be said for him. "Still in town?"

"For the next couple of weeks. I escaped from my brother and his wife to grab dinner here." Mason explains. "Then I saw Elena, Caroline and Jenna and I had to stop by to say hello."

"We graduated together." Jenna supplies.

"Maybe we can all get together before I go to California." Mason suggests. This guy does not give up.

"How about we have cookout at my house on Saturday afternoon?" Jenna asks. "Mason, its Grayson and Miranda's house."

"You're going to cook?" Ric asks, disbelievingly. Jenna playfully slaps him on the shoulder.

"Of course not. I thought you guys could handle the grill and the girls can do the sides."

"Sounds great. I will be there. Right now, I think I'll head out." Mason leaves.

We spend the rest of the evening playing pool and hanging out. As much as I want to spend time with Elena alone, I still have fun. I never thought I would want to spend this much time with any group of people and it's true that it's not my first choice but it still works for me.

Of course, any time I can watch Elena bent over with her ass on display is a great time. It's awesome to finally be able to be fully affectionate with her. While playing pool, if I'm sitting, she's standing between my legs and same thing when she's sitting. We are constantly touching and kissing although she pulls away and glances around a few times like she's afraid we're being watched. I think she's still getting used to the fact that we can do this now.

At the end of the evening, when it's time to go home, Stefan and Caroline go home together while I walk Elena to her car. I know she's not ready so while I would love to go home with her or take her to my house I'm not going to push her. However, that doesn't mean I can't give her a reason to want to.

When we get to Elena's SUV, I think she needs to be driving something that screams sporty and fun, not soccer mom.

I wrap my arms around her waist and give her a small kiss. "I hated that we didn't get to spend any time alone but it was a fun night."

"Thanks for not fighting with Caroline. She means well."

"Anything for you and Stefan." We kiss again.

"Also, thanks for being civil to Mason. I know that wasn't easy for you."

"Elena, I hate that you went out with him but I do accept partial responsibility for that. As long as he knows you are with me then I have no reason to not be civil." However, the second he shows any interest in her and all civility will be out the door. But we'll deal with that when we get there.

We kiss again and this time we don't stop. Kissing Elena is the highlight of my day and I never want to stop. Her lip gloss tastes like strawberries and when I nuzzle in to kiss her neck I notice her hair smells like vanilla. I will always associate strawberries and vanilla with Elena Gilbert.

The sounds she is making and the way she moans my name while I'm kissing her neck are making me harder than I thought possible. I can just imagine what she'll sound like when she's finally under me. That can't happen soon enough. I slide both hands under the back of her blouse and she's not stopping me. I move my hands around to cup her breasts over her bra and she's pushing them into my hands.

I decide to see how far she'll let me go and slide my right hand, palm down, across her flat stomach to the waistband of her pants. So far so good. Then when I slip my fingers past her waistband she stops me. Well, it was worth a try.

"Damon, I can't."

"Are you sure?" I ask as I move my hands back around her waist but still under her blouse. I continue kissing her neck as she moans again.

"No, but I need to be." That stops me cold. I know that if I push her, she'll give in but it's not the right time. She's really not ready. "Is that okay?"

"Elena," I have my hands on her hips but no longer under her blouse. "It's okay. We are going at your pace and I want you to be absolutely sure before we go any further. I don't want you to regret anything."

"Thank you for being so patient with me."

"Always." Although until we do have sex, I see some serious cases of blue balls in my future. "I better let you get home. Be safe." I kiss her on the forehead and open her car door for her. She climbs in, shuts her door and gives me a small wave when she drives off.


	9. Chapter 9

_This chapter is in Elena's point of view and it's the longest chapter so far. I do wan to apologize for the wait. I hope you all enjoy._

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries

JOD Chapter 9

Tuesday ended up not being a great day. As far as work goes, it was great. I'm finally getting into the swing of things and am starting to be productive in my role at Salvatore Enterprises. I'm making some connections with the people I work with. We have a variety of different people, some are really friendly, some are very introverted and others complain more than they work. Also, seeing Jeremy every day is awesome. I'm not sure how crazy he is about having his big sister around all the time but after not seeing him while I was in college, I am loving it.

What made the day not a great day was I didn't see Damon all day. We didn't 'accidently' bump into each other in the break room nor did he ask me to his office. I know it's what I wanted and he's respecting my wishes but I miss him. Now, tonight, he and Stefan are working late so Caroline and I are vegging on the couch watching Netflix and drinking wine. For once, it's just us and we're enjoying the solitude. While we love hanging out with everyone, it's nice to finally be able to enjoy our townhome with just the two of us.

"Okay, spill." Caroline says, out of the blue.

"Spill what?" I ask, confused. What doesn't she know? We live together, she knows every move I make, sometimes before I do.

"What happened with Damon on Sunday night? I mean, obviously, you two are together but how? What was the big secret?"

"We did have our big talk." I'm trying to figure out exactly how much to tell Caroline. If I leave something out, she'll know but I don't want to reveal everything. "I just explained how Matt and Liam are my only relationships and that I never did the one night stand or casual sex thing."

"Not for lack of me trying." Caroline mutters.

"And how I would have gone home with him that night with very little hesitation." I confess.

"Elena, you slut." Caroline teases.

"I know. It's so unlike me but there was something pulling me to him. As soon as we locked eyes, it was over for me. There was no fighting it. Then when we danced and made out, it was solidified."

"Then he didn't invite you home, he didn't contact you and then you found out he had a long-term girlfriend."

"Exactly and to top it all off, we work together." I sigh. Listing all of our beginning problems makes me wonder again how this is ever going to work.

"So what took him so long to break things off with Andie?"

"A little over a year ago she was in a car accident with her brother and he was killed. She was driving. It wasn't her fault. They were broadsided by another car."

"Wow."

"Her parents had a hard time, of course, and they shut her out until recently. Damon stuck by her through her grieving process."

"Then you came along."

"Exactly. He had been planning on breaking things off before the accident but there was never a good time. Apparently, timing is not Damon's thing."

"Not with relationships." We laugh. "And breaking up with her the day I fix you up with Mason? That was hilarious."

"Only from your perspective. Although I think if he hadn't already broken up with Andie, seeing me with Mason would have done it."

"Definitely. See? I was right." Caroline points out. "So, where do things stand now?"

"We're trying it out, seeing where it goes. How can we not?" I ask. "But I'm scared. So much has happened and so many things were against us from the beginning. What if we've built this attraction into something it's not? What if we were meant to be a one-night stand and that's it?"

"Elena, you have to let go of your fears. You're not helping this relationship if you're going into it thinking it's doomed. That's going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy."

"My head says you're completely right but my heart is holding me back. I'm so scared of getting hurt that I won't let him get past second base." Apparently, I am telling her everything but if there's one thing she can help me with, this is it.

"Well, it's only been two days and you haven't been out on an official date yet so I don't think it's that far-fetched." That makes sense. "Has he asked you out yet?"

"He wanted to go out last night but we had the group hangout instead. I didn't talk to him today. We only texted a few times."

"Don't beat yourself up too much about it if you haven't even been out yet."

"I think part of the problem is that Andie accused him of only breaking up with her because I wouldn't sleep with him while they were together and I don't want to turn around and that be the first thing that we do. What if we don't work out? Then Andie would've been right."

"You cannot worry about what she said. She has a different perspective and feelings about this than you do, which she is allowed." Caroline hesitates. "Also, Stefan told me something else that she said to Damon but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to tell you or not. However, he should know that I'm going to tell you because you are my best friend. So, should I tell you? I should tell you."

"Would you just tell me already?"

"Okay. Before the comment about you not sleeping with Damon, she accused him of sleeping with you because he sure as hell wasn't sleeping with her. I'm paraphrasing and using nicer words."

"I'm shocked. I just assumed they were still having sex since they hadn't broken up yet. I never asked and I told him under no uncertain terms to not tell me anything about their relationship."

"I guess when he met you and realized you were who he wanted to be with, he quit screwing her."

"No wonder she hates me. I would hate me too."

"Elena, I know you have this whole empathy thing but you are going to have to let your guilt go. You did nothing wrong in this. Andie was going to get hurt regardless of whether you were involved or not."

"I know. You're right but I can't help it." I sigh. I am so ready for a change of subject. "Enough about me and Damon. Catch me up on you and Stefan."

We spend the rest of the evening talking about her and Stefan where I proceed to find out way more than I wanted to. However, it's helped to distract me from thinking about and fretting over Damon too much. It's a lot to take in knowing that he hadn't been sleeping with her. Like I told Caroline, I do feel really bad but does it make me a horrible person to be happy about it? I'm glad he wasn't sleeping with her and I'm glad he finally chose me. If he was unhappy with her, then he needed to break up with her regardless of whether he chose me or not. If he wasn't happy, eventually she wasn't going to be happy either.

Either way, it doesn't matter. They broke up and we're trying to make this work. Caroline's right, it's not going to if I don't give it a chance. I need to let us have the fresh start I promised Damon. No more worrying about the past or what happened or didn't happen, I just need to focus on the future.

It's with this new attitude that I walk into Damon's office on Wednesday morning. After not seeing each other on Tuesday, he texted me shortly after arriving and asked me to come down. While I'm still nervous about seeing each other at work, I can't resist the prospect of looking into his beautiful blue eyes.

"Good morning Elena." Damon says as I walk in. He gets up from his chair and comes around his desk.

"Good morning Damon." I smile at him as he shuts his door. Damon then leans back against his desk, takes me into his arms and kisses me. "I missed you yesterday."

"I missed you too. Are you sure this is okay?" I ask as he's still holding me.

"Was Rose at her desk?"

"Yeah."

"Trust me. She's not letting anyone in that door except maybe Stefan." Damon assures me.

"What about your uncle?" I have to make absolutely sure no one's coming before I let my guard down.

"Elena, in the years that I have been in this office, I can count the number of times Zach has been to see me on one hand." At this, I melt into his arms and kiss him hungrily, running my fingers through his hair.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what has gotten into you?" Damon asks when we come up for air.

"A new attitude. Caroline and I had a long talk last night and I was letting some fears play with me and I'm trying to let them go."

"Blondie just might redeem herself."

"I think she's working on it but she's also being my best friend and supporting me." I pause. "You know she really did want us to be together." He looks like he doesn't believe me. "Trust me, she did. What she didn't want was me sitting around waiting and getting hurt."

"I guess I can respect that but I still don't like it." Damon concedes.

"At least we're making progress on all fronts. What did you want to see me about?"

"We still have not had our first official date and if we don't decide something, our friends will have us booked from now until Christmas." I laugh at his characterization of our friends. Even though it's still August, they would if they had the chance. The group gets along so well that we love being together.

"Did you have something in mind? Remember that we have the cookout at Jenna's on Saturday."

"That's what I mean. Our Saturday is already booked. I was thinking on Sunday we could go to Ankida Ridge Vineyard for a tour and wine tasting."

"That sounds perfect. Wine seems to be our thing."

"I'm hopeful that something else will be our thing too." Damon waggles his eyebrows suggestively.

"It will. I promise but right now I need to get back to work before Stefan fires me."

"If he does, I'll hire you in one of my departments." Damon teases. "Then I can see you anytime I want."

"We'd never get any work done and I think the cat would be out of the bag." I kiss him one last time and step out of his arms. "I really have to go back now, as much as I don't want to. Will I see you tonight?"

"I think we're doing after-work drinks again."

"Maybe the four of us can have dinner?" I suggest.

"I think that can be arranged."

The day of the cookout turns out to be a beautiful, sunny August day even if it's hot and humid. We all complain about the heat and humidity but when winter hits, we'll be wishing for these days again. The guys are outside with Damon and Ric arguing over how to grill burgers while Jeremy and Stefan make fun of them. We girls are inside putting together the tossed salad and fruit salad to go along with the potato salad that Caroline made. She's the only one of us who can actually cook. Bonnie's getting better but Jenna and I are hopeless.

While Matt and Tyler (invited by Mason) are outside with the guys, Mason is hanging out in the house with us under the pretext of catching up with Jenna. I'm not sure that Damon believes him because in between arguments with Ric, he's been in the kitchen with us and by us, I mean me. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that he's marking his territory. He's doing everything short of peeing a circle around me. On one hand it's cute and on the other it's annoying.

"Damon, get out of the kitchen." Jenna tells him for the hundredth time. "Go back outside and help Ric."

"He needs no help in ruining the burgers. He can do that all on his own." Damon counters as he wraps his arms around me from behind and nuzzles into my neck. "Besides, Elena's in here."

"Elena's in here because she's supposed to be helping which she can't do because you're distracting her." Caroline says, obviously very frustrated. "You don't see Stefan, Jeremy or Ric under our feet."

"Fine but you're going to miss me when I'm gone." Damon kisses me on the cheek, waves at Caroline, and then leaves.

"Not likely!" She yells after him. "Ugh, Elena, I don't know what you see in him."

"Yes you do and you're happy we're dating."

"I am but he drives me crazy."

"He does that on purpose because it riles you up." I point out and then I turn to Mason, afraid he's been feeling left out. "How long are you going to be in Mystic Falls?"

"Just until next Saturday and then I fly to California." Mason answers. "I've missed this place but I'm ready to get back to the beach."

"The lake is not really the same thing, is it?" I ask.

"Not quite."

"Do you ever think about moving back?" Bonnie asks.

"If the circumstances were right, maybe." Mason answers as he looks at me. "But so far, no, I don't think about moving back."

"We all moved back after college. Jenna mainly for me and Jeremy and then the rest of us couldn't imagine being anywhere else. I'm glad I came back." I explain.

This is the time that Damon comes back in to the house causing Caroline to freak out again. "Calm down, Blondie. Ric sent me in to tell you guys the burgers are ready and he wants to know where to put them."

"Use this platter and then bring them back in and we can fix our plates in here and then eat outside." Jenna answers as she hands him a large dish lined with aluminum foil.

After everyone gets their food, we settle onto the back deck and just enjoy the company. Damon and I are on one of the chaise lounges with me on one end, him on the other with our plates between us. When we're done eating, we start playing yard games which is when the real fun begins. Jenna and Ric set up the beanbag toss and badminton set.

Damon and I sit out on the games and settle back into the lounge to watch everyone. We're pretty content to be wrapped up in each other. After about an hour, the guys decide they want to play football and need Damon. Caroline and Damon switch places so she and I are laying in the chair together.

"I could always stay here with you two." Damon teases.

"Go on. I want Elena all to myself. I'm tired of sharing her." Caroline shoos him away.

All the guys take off their shirts for the game and naturally we do some whistling and cat calling. There is no doubt about it. We hang out with a bunch of gorgeous guys who spend a lot of time at the gym. To think, all this started because we decided to go out and celebrate my full-time employment. It was inevitable that I was going to meet Damon and Stefan but what about Caroline? Or Jenna meeting Ric? Would this all have happened anyway? I like to think that it would have.

"Elena, you're smiling." Caroline observes. "I haven't seen you smile like that for a while."

"I was just thinking about how happy I am that we all found each other and that we're all such good friends." Then we hug and she kisses me on the forehead.

"Okay, we cannot be left out of this." Damon says as he and Stefan run over and jump onto the chair with us.

"Would you two get out? You're all sweaty." Caroline admonishes them, half-heartedly.

"You like me all sweaty." Stefan teases. He pulls her up and they move to another chair where she ruffles his hair.

"Do you like me sweaty?" Damon asks.

"It's a good look for you." I lean up and kiss him. It's been the perfect afternoon with an awesome group of friends and I am so grateful this is my life.

Sunday is just as beautiful as Saturday and perfect for a drive out to the vineyard. We take Damon's classic 1969 Camaro and put the top down. The vineyard sits on a slope 1800 feet up on a hill. It's unusual for a vineyard to be at this elevation but it's an idyllic property.

When we get out of the car, the first thing I notice is all the activity between the visitors, workers, and the animals. There are a few dogs and cats here and there and there's a sheep pasture as well. There are chickens milling about but they seem to be staying in one central location. In addition, there are bee hives in the distance.

While on the tour, we learn that the vineyard wanted to be organic but was not able to because of black rot, which is common in Virginia vineyards, but they still try to be as organic as possible. They graze the sheep in the vineyards on a schedule. The other animals and the vegetable garden were incorporated to create an ecosystem that encourages the growing of the grapes. It's all so beautiful and I am so glad this is what we are doing on our first date.

After the tour, we go back to the tasting room to sample the wines. The tasting room is in a building that looks like a house but is one big room when you walk in. There are tall ceilings with wooden beams and the hardwood floors are dark. There is a cozy area with an unlit fireplace that's set up like a small living room.

There is a bar with stations set up for each group that was in the tour. So, while we are at the bar with the rest of the tour group, there is a bowl of oyster crackers and glasses set up for Damon and me. It's a fairly young vineyard that only grows a few varieties of grapes so there are only four wines to sample so we taste each one. I end up with a bottle of the Chardonnay which Damon says is a girl wine (I stick my tongue out at him for that comment) and he selects the Rockgarden Rouge. Damon insists on paying for my bottle even though I don't want him to. He does point out that this is a date and he did ask me out so I let it go.

On the way home we decide to stop for dinner so we drive through the main town in the area hoping something decent is open. We find a small café on Main Street that is amazingly open on Sunday evening. It's not fancy or overly crowded, which is perfect. We order more wine although I'm not sure that's a good idea on my part. I actually drank the wine that we tasted while Damon did the traditional tasting since he's driving. I barely resist Damon sober much less when I've been drinking.

After we order dinner, I get the crab cakes while he orders the steak, we finally get to talk, which we haven't had a chance to do much of this week. I'm loving getting to know Damon outside of work and away from our friends. There's so much I don't know.

"So you're from Mystic Falls?" I ask while we're waiting on our entrees.

"I am." That was a short answer.

"It's a small town. How can I not have met you before? I know you're older than me and I've been away at college."

"I'm closer to Jenna's age than yours and Stefan is two years younger than me but more important than that, we didn't go to school in Mystic Falls."

"Why and where did you go?"

"Our mom passed away from cancer when we were in elementary school and Dad did not know what to do with us."

"I'm so sorry, Damon."

"Thanks. Anyway, as soon as we were old enough, he sent us to boarding school in Massachusetts. Then we both stayed in the Northeast for college." Our entrees arrive and after a refill on drinks, Damon resumes his story. "I went to NYU for my undergrad and stayed in the city to go to Columbia for my MBA. Stefan went to Yale for both his undergrad and MBA."

"So your father sent both of you to New England and you didn't come home until he died?" I ask, trying to understand.

"We came home for breaks, summers and holidays and we both worked at Salvatore Enterprises during the summers. But no we didn't make Mystic Falls our permanent home until Dad died. I think I would have come home anyway. Stefan too. It was time."

"I'm so glad you came home." I say, not sure what else to say.

"Me too."

"Damon, do you have any plans for next weekend?" I am suddenly struck with a great idea.

"Just seeing you. Otherwise, I'm free."

"Jeremy and I own a lake house and I was thinking about going up next weekend. Do you think you would want to go with me?" I ask shyly, peeking at him over my wine glass.

"Is this a group thing or a Damon and Elena thing?" He asks, smirking.

"It's a Damon and Elena only thing." I giggle.

"Then I would love to. Any specific plans?"

"I thought we could leave work a couple of hours early and then drive up and stay until Sunday. There's a small grocery store close to it where we can get food for the weekend."

"This is going to be one long week."

"But well worth the wait." I smirk at him this time.


	10. Chapter 10

_Finally, an update. This one took some inspiration. It's one of my favorite chapters but it was hard to write. Shout out to Jairem, I too wanted a confrontation between Andie and Elena but wasn't sure when but thought sooner rather than later and it doesn't mean there won't be another one down the road._

 _I had to go back to basics for this chapter. I ended up writing most of in long hand in a notebook. The words would not flow through my keyboard. Anyway, you all have waited long enough for this chapter. Once again, thatnks for the reviews, follows, and favorites._

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.

Just One Dance: Chapter 10

EPOV

On Wednesday after work, I went home to change and then to the Grill to pick up dinner for me and Damon. We are meeting at the Boarding House for dinner and to go over the plan for Friday. It will be one of my first times at the Boarding House without the gang and since Damon broke up with Andie. We spend most of our time at my place, Jenna's or at the Grill.

"Hey, Matt." I say to my first boyfriend who is bartending tonight. "I have an order for carryout."

"Sure, Elena." Matt goes to the kitchen to get my order.

"Elena?" I hear a strange but oddly familiar voice behind me. I turn around and, holy shit, its Andie, who is standing there in her full makeup and pantsuit, looking every inch like the beautiful woman that she is. I, however, am in a sparkly purple tank top, cutoffs and my Converse and feel like a teenager picking up dinner for her parents instead of a woman getting carryout for her boyfriend.

"Hi." I say awkwardly. How does one greet one's boyfriend's (Is he my boyfriend?) ex? More importantly, why does she want to talk to me?

"So you know who I am?" Of course I know you, you're on the news. The question is, how do you know me?

"Yep." Okay, so short and sweet is what we're going with. Let's get this over as soon as possible.

"Picking up dinner?" Why does she care?

"Yep." One word answers seem safest.

"For you and Damon?" Andie looks at me pointedly. So she wants to know about me and Damon. This should go over really well.

"Yep."

"Doesn't he usually cook?"

"Yep."

"Do you say anything else?"

"I do but I don't really think there's a lot we need to say to each other."

"On the contrary, I have a lot to say to you."

"I bet you do." I mutter.

"What did you say?"

"Not important." Matt brings my carryout bag over and tells me Damon's covered it. Of course he has. "What do you want to say?'

"Are you happy with what you've done?'

"I didn't do anything. What happened between you and Damon, happened between the two of you. It had nothing to do with me."

"It had everything to do with you. We were fine before you came along."

"Damon's decision to break up with you was his decision alone. I didn't ask him to make that choice."

"Of course you did. When you wouldn't sleep with him, that's essentially what you did. He couldn't have you any other way."

"Seriously?" I look at her incredulously. "Are you suggesting that if I had just cheated with Damon then you would still be together?"

"Yes. He could have had you and then we could have moved on."

"That's ridiculous. You and Damon were over before we met."

"We were fine."

"If you were fine, meeting me wouldn't have made a difference. You don't fall for a second person if you're in love with the first person."

"How could you do this to me?"

"Elena," Matt interrupts, thank God. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Matt. Thanks." I take this opportunity to grab the bag of food. "Look, Andie, for what it's worth, I'm sorry that you were hurt. I wish that could have been avoided but I won't let you make me feel guilty for something I had no control over and I won't let that guilt define my relationship with Damon." With that, I turn and leave Andie standing there.

DPOV 

Elena comes breezing into the Boarding House with our takeout from the Grill. We've been trying to spend more time here so she can be more comfortable. She feels like this was my place with Andie, it's too big and too much like a mausoleum. I follow her into the kitchen.

"So, I ran into Andie at the Grill."

"How did that go?"

"It was fine. She did accuse me of being the reason you broke up and actually suggested that if I had just slept with you then you two would still be fine."

"You're kidding."

"No. You couldn't have my any other way so you had to break up with her."

"I hope you don't believe her."

"Of course not. I told her that if you were fine, meeting me wouldn't have changed anything."

"Exactly."

"What you didn't tell me is how beautiful she is."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, I've seen her on the news but I didn't realize how tall, thin, blonde and beautiful she is. She's like a Glamazon."

"Elena, you're being ridiculous."

"Why would you break up with her for me? It doesn't make sense."

"First, you know that wasn't the only reason but it made for an awesome bonus." That earns me an eye roll. Okay, time to be serious so I cup her face with my hands and make her look at me. "Second, I love your gorgeous chocolate brown hair. I love those brown eyes that have seen into me since that first night." I lean down and kiss her forehead and then her lips. "I love your curves and I cannot wait to see the rest of you."

At this she puts her hands on the back of my neck and very gently kisses me. "Thank you." I pick her up, wrapping her legs around me, and carry her to the island where I set her down. We start kissing again and this time we don't stop. I'm grinding into her and sliding my hands under her tank top to cup her breasts. I'm waiting for her to stop me because this is usually the stopping point.

"Damon," Yep, at the stopping point. I lean back and look down at her. "I'm ready." Did I hear that right or is my imagination working overtime?

"What?"

"I'm ready." I did hear her right.

"Thank God." I immediately pull her tank top over her head.

"Not here."

"Not here?"

"Not where Stefan can walk in." Not a chance I really want to take either, he does not get to see her naked. I scoop her up and carry her bridal style to my bedroom where I set her down.

"Damon, I love your room. It's huge." It's the first time she's been in my bedroom and while I would love to show her around, I have other things on my mind right now.

"It's not the only thing that's huge." She's so beautiful when she blushes. "Let's get you out of these clothes." I kiss her while undoing her bra and then take in my first sight of Elena's bare breasts. Afterwards, I move down to suck each nipple to a hard point, I kiss her incredibly flat stomach, and undo her shorts and pull them and her underwear down. She steps out of her shoes and her clothes.

As I stand back and admire her, I don't see how she doesn't know how gorgeous she is. By the way she's looking at me shyly I can see that she's self-conscious but she has no reason to be. I lay her down on my bed and then strip myself. I am loving the way she is watching me now.

"Like what you see?" I say as I saunter over to her.

"Yes, I do." Elena says, and licks her lips. This is a new side to Elena and I think I'm going to like it. I join her on the bed and immediately begin kissing her again. I can't believe that what we started almost two months ago is finally going to happen. As I'm nibbling on her neck, I reach down and circle her clit with my thumb and entering her with one finger. Elena begins moaning and pushing herself against my hand, asking for what she needs.

As I'm watching her reach for her orgasm, I feel a soft hand wrap around my cock and being to tentatively stroke my length. "Elena."

"Oh God, Damon." I feel her tighten and spasm around my finger as her first orgasm hits. I have never seen anything as beautiful as Elena in the throes of an orgasm. Once she has started to come down from her high, I move on top of her.

"Are you ready?" I ask, needing to be sure, as I position myself at her entrance.

"Very."

I enter her slowly, knowing she's going to be tight, however, I didn't think she would be this tight. Looking into her eyes, I know that nothing in my life has ever been as right as this moment. "Are you okay?" I ask her.

"I'm great, Damon. You can move." I begin moving slowly, in and out, letting her take her time getting used to me.

"God, Elena, you are so tight." I moan. As Elena begins to meet me thrust for thrust, I take it as my cue that she is okay and start moving faster. Knowing that I'm not going to last, I reach between us and rub her clit to bring her to her second orgasm. "Come for me Elena."

"Only if you come with me." She moans. God, she's perfect.

"I'm there." I say as I feel my balls tighten at the same time she is spasming and contracting around me. We explode together and I can feel her milking me. I roll off of her and pull her to me and she sprawls across my chest with her hair everywhere and it's the best feeling ever. "Elena, that was definitely worth the wait."

Elena mumbles something that sounds like agreement but I'm not sure because then we're both falling asleep, dinner long forgotten.

EPOV

"I cannot believe that we are in your bed eating burgers and fries." It's all so surreal.

"Now that you're here, I'm never letting you go." Damon kisses me between bites of food.

"I do have to go home eventually." Even if I don't want to, I think to myself.

"Not tonight. Stay."

"Damon, I can't. I have to work tomorrow and I don't have any clothes here."

"Stay the night and then go home and get ready in the morning. Please." Who can resist those eyes? Not me.

"Okay but I have to text Care to let her know so she doesn't worry."

 **E: Staying at D's.**

 **C: Finally.**

 **E: I know, right.**

 **C: I want details.**

 **E: K girls' night?**

 **C: Me U J and B wine tomorrow night?**

 **E: Perfect**

"That's a lot of texting just to say you're staying." Damon comments as he nibbles on my shoulder.

"We planned a girls' night for tomorrow." I respond setting my phone on the nightstand.

"Can't wait to tell them how good it is?" Damon smirks.

"Something like that." I giggle as we fall back into bed.

On Thursday night, I come home from work and find my girls there and already opening the wine. Man, I have the greatest friends and family surrounding me. I kick off my heels and plop down between Jenna and Caroline on the couch. Bonnie is lounging on the loveseat. Caroline pours the wine and passes it out.

"I'm so glad my niece got laid." Jenna comments and then clinks glasses with Caroline.

"Finally." Caroline adds her two cents.

"I am so glad everyone is so interested in my sex life."

"Or lack thereof until now." Bonnie says and winks at me.

"Et tu Bonnie?"

"I'm just calling it like I see it."

"You guys know why I was waiting. I wanted to be sure."

"So what happened to change your mind?" Bonnie

"I ran into Andie last night at the Grill while picking up dinner."

"I bet that was pleasant." Jenna.

"That's an understatement. Basically, she blames me for everything which made me realize I've been blaming me too."

"Elena, it's not your fault." Bonnie

"I know but I still couldn't help but feel that I pushed Damon into something he wasn't ready for." I sigh and take a sip of wine. "But I can't let that guilt keep me from moving forward with Damon. If I do that, all this would have been for nothing."

"That's what I've been telling you." Caroline points out.

"Well, I finally listened and am I glad that I did." I giggle and clink glasses with her.

"So it was worth the wait?" Jenna asks.

"More than worth it and now when we go to the lake tomorrow, that first time is out of the way. And the second and the third. That's where we were when I quit counting." A thought comes to my mind. "Does anyone have plans for Labor Day weekend?"

"I have a wedding on Saturday but that's all." Caroline says. Neither Jenna nor Bonnie has plans.

"I know this weekend it's just Damon and I but why doesn't everyone go up Labor Day weekend? Caroline can join us after she the wedding is finished and then we'll still have Sunday and Monday?" Everyone agrees that it will be a great way to end summer and to celebrate our newfound group.

On Friday afternoon, Damon and I leave work early but with a half hour in between each departure. I'm still trying to be careful while in the office, however, when we go out I'm not nearly as cautious. I know people we work with are going to see us out and I don't mind that. I just don't want any rumors as to how we behave at work. I'm still trying to keep our work and personal lives separate.

I meet Damon at the Boarding House because we are going to drive my SUV. It's more suitable than Damon's Camaro, as much as we both love it, for the lake. While I had girls' night, he did the grocery shopping for the trip so we don't have to stop on the way.

Once we get to the cabin, we unpack the food and then our bags in the master bedroom on the first floor. Damon makes a wonderful meal of steak, roasted potatoes and veggies on the grill. After dinner, we sit out on the deck facing the lake and enjoy the solitude. We're drinking wine and I am curled up on his lap. That seems to be my favorite place as that's where I spend every moment that I can. For the first time in forever, I feel completely safe and at peace. For all the turmoil this relationship started out as, it seems to have calmed down.

Damon is tracing my bare legs with his long fingers and it's giving me goosebumps. There's nothing like what this man makes me feel. I never knew that anything could feel as right or as perfect. There's still a piece of me that's waiting for the other shoe to drop but for the sake of my relationship, I am pushing it aside. No matter what else happens, right now this feels right.

I turn my head to look into Damon's eyes and I see him watching me with a smile I haven't seen before. "What's that look for?"

"What look?" Damon asks.

"That smile."

"I'm happy."

"Me too." I lean down and kiss him. I can't believe I am even remotely considering having sex on the deck of my lake house but Damon releases something in me that I didn't even know existed. I turn around to straddle him with one knee on either side of his hips. I tangle my fingers in his black, unruly hair and the turn his face up to mine to forcibly kiss him. After nibbling on his lips I move over to do the same to his ear and then move down his neck to his pulse point.

"Elena, I'm loving this side of you." I believe him because I can feel just how much he's loving this. I pull his shirt out from his shorts and then over his head. Then I kiss him across his chest.

"I have wanted to lick your abs since the pool party." I confess.

"By all means, lick away, baby." Damon encourages me and I move off of him to kneel in front of him to do just that. The effect I have on him is giving me more confidence than I thought possible, so much so that I have a sudden urge I don't normally have.

I undo his belt and pants so I can release him from his boxer briefs. Once he is released, I take him in one hand, stroking him softly increasing my pressure, and look at him. What I see gives me the jolt of courage that I need. Everyone should be looked at like that at least once in their lifetime. I take him into my mouth and suck and pump simultaneously. Damon leans his head back against the chair and moans.

After a few minutes, Damon pulls me up back on to his lap and pushes into me. "I want to come inside you." He explains. Just those words alone have me ready to burst. We find our rhythm, while looking into one another's eyes and the fire between us combusts and we both find our release.

"Wow." I say, not having any other words.

"Exactly." Damon says and kisses me thoroughly.

 _PS: The next chapter will continue the lake house weekend. I just thought this would be a good spot to end it. Good news, it's partially written already. FYI, I really want to lick Damon's abs so I thought Elena could do it for me, lol. See ya next time!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Yes, I am updating. I know hard to believe. This chapter sets up the next phase of the story. I was waffling on where I wanted it to go because this did start out as a one-shot but then I had this scene pop into my head and we are now working towards it. I hope you all like where it's going. Thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows! They mean the world to me!_

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries

Just One Dance: Chapter 11

DPOV

On Saturday morning, Elena and I went for a run by the lake, which is not quite the running terrain that either one of us is used to but it was fun. When we returned, we made breakfast together. Really, I made breakfast while she watched.

We went outside so she could show me her yoga poses which led to us going back inside and then swimming, which led to another trip inside. Today, Elena is not the exhibitionist she was last night but it was dark last night and now we are in full daylight. I'll have to work on her exhibitionist side. She has one; I just need to expand it.

In the afternoon, we lay in the hammock and discuss Elena's childhood. It fascinates me because it's so different from what I experienced.

"Tell me about your dad."

"Dad was a family medicine physician and you would think he wasn't around a lot but he was. He was always there for us when we needed him and always there at family function or stuff at school. Mom arranged everything around his on-call schedule so he wouldn't miss out." She explains. "He played with us constantly and always took us with him when he went places. If he went out to get a gallon of milk, we went with him."

"What about when you were a teenager? Did you fight?"

"We did. I was very stubborn and independent." I chuckle at that. Of course she was. She still is. "He was not ready for me to grow up. I think he was afraid I would grow away from him. When I started dating Matt, I thought he was going to kill me."

"Why?"

"He loved Matt, as everyone did. Matt grew up with me, Bonnie, and Caroline so he was constantly in and out of the house too. Dad thought I was too young to be so serious about a boy and he was right. But as time went on, he got used to it."

"What about your mom?"

"Mom was a blast, a lot like Jenna, only more grounded but that was probably because of me and Jeremy. She was really close with Bonnie's and Caroline's moms so we were together all the time."

"That's why you are so close."

"That's a lot of it. I'm not sure I can function without them." She takes a deep breath. "Mom and I were always close but the older I got, the closer we got. I could talk to her about anything. She knew I wasn't ready for the future Matt kept talking about and she tried to get me to talk to him but I was stubborn and refused."

"Can I ask what happened to them?"

"I told you I was a lot different back then. It was almost two months before my 17th birthday and Jeremy was 15 at the time. Jenna was in for the weekend and we were supposed to have family game night and my friends were having a party." Elena stops as she wipes the tears from her eyes with the back of her hands. I pull her closer to me and lay her head on my chest. "My parents insisted that I stay home but I snuck out and went to the party anyway. We were all drinking, of course, and Matt started going on about our future and I had enough. We had a fight and then I wanted to leave but I couldn't drive so I called my parents. They both came to get me. On the way home, we were hit head on by a truck and my parents were killed instantly and I was fine, just a few scratches."

"Elena, I'm so sorry." I kiss the top of her head and rub her back trying to give her some comfort.

"Then Jeremy blamed me for the loss of our parents because they wouldn't have been out on the road if I had just done what I was told."

"You couldn't know what was going to happen. It's not your fault."

"I know that now but it took a lot of years and a lot of therapy, for Jeremy too. It's part of the reason I carry so much guilt about everything else in my life."

"Like Andie."

"Like Andie. Not to mention the fact that she lost her brother in a car accident too. When you told me what happened, I wanted to send you back to her. She had already suffered enough."

"You couldn't send me back to her. It was done and that was not your fault."

"I've finally realized that. It would be nice if we could be together and not talk about her but I can't help it."

"Well, we met while I was still with her so she was a part of our lives for a brief moment but that's over. It's just you and me now."

When I hear about Elena's family life, it opens up possibilities in my life I didn't dare dream of before. I've never wanted the traditional life with marriage and kids; that's not my style. I always thought that since my dad had no parenting skills, I don't have any either. With Elena, however, the impossible seems almost possible. Being with her makes me want to start thinking about investing more in a relationship and not the least amount as possible.

Even doing a weekend away is not normally something that I'm into and I wasn't sure it would work with Elena either. I brought my laptop just in case so I would have work as an excuse if I needed to get away. However, it's still packed in my bag and I have no plans on getting it out.

EPOV

That night, we decide to watch the sunset and the moonrise from the dock. When we are getting ready to go back to the house, Damon takes both my hands and holds them between and looks at me so intently.

"Elena, I want to say something but it's way too soon so I can't. I just wanted you to know."

"I do know and I feel the same." Then we kiss and the fireworks explode. Damon takes my hand and we run back to the house. Once we make it to the bedroom, we start kissing again and frantically removing each other's clothes. I don't know how many times we've had sex this week, but it doesn't seem to matter, neither one of us can get enough.

When we're undressed Damon pushes me down onto the bed and I scoot back until my head hits the pillows. He joins me and starts kissing down my body. When he gets the apex of my thighs, I try to pull away from him. "Damon, stop."

"What's wrong?" Damon asks as he looks up at me from between my legs and I don't think I've ever seen anything more erotic or seen so much want in someone's eyes. It's almost enough for me to take back my objection.

"You don't have to do that." I am now avoiding his eyes and looking straight up at the ceiling.

"Elena, look at me." Damon demands. I once again look into his eyes. "Do I look like I don't want to do this or that I'm doing it because I think I have to?" I shake my head. "Then what's wrong?"

"What's wrong is I always thought it was something guys didn't really want to do but felt they had to so they could get what they wanted." I'm back to looking up at the ceiling as I explain this.

"Then I am just going to have to prove you wrong." And he proceeds to and rocks my world.

DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDE

When I get home the next day, Caroline is on the couch and there is a vase of flowers on the coffee table in front of her. "Are those from Stefan?"

"No, they're for you. When we went out for breakfast this morning, they were sitting on the porch." Caroline explains. "Your name is on the card. I thought maybe Damon had flowers sent for you to have when you got home."

"Well, let's see." I take the card and read it. My blood runs cold because they aren't from Damon. The card's not signed but judging by what it says, they're from Andie. "Care, they're not from Damon."

"Who are they from?" Caroline asks, as she takes the card from me. "Elena, are you serious?"

"Apparently, she's not out of our lives."

"Do you want me to call my mom?"

"Why?"

"She's the sheriff. She should know you're being threatened."

"Caroline, I don't think it's that serious. She's just mad that I'm with Damon. It doesn't mean she's going to hurt me."

"Elena, I really think we should call Mom. She'll know what to do."

"There's nothing to do and we are not calling your mom."

"At least call Damon and let him know."

"I'm not telling Damon and you're not telling Stefan." I warn her. "Yesterday, Damon and I decided that Andie is no longer a topic of conversation and that she is out of our lives."

"Obviously she isn't out of your life if she's sending you flowers the day you get back from a trip with Damon."

"Okay, how about this? If anything else happens, I'll tell Damon. Otherwise, there's no reason for him to know."

"If you're sure, but you have to promise me."

"I do. I promise." Actually, I'm really worried and would love to call Damon but he doesn't need to know. It'll just worry him and that's not fair to him if this is a one-time thing. It does cause a couple of questions to come to mind. How does she know where I live? It's a small town and everybody knows everybody but still it sends a small chill through me. Also, did she know Damon and I were out of town for the weekend? Or was it a coincidence that I wasn't here? Did she bring the flowers or have them delivered? So, it brings more than a couple of questions to mind and it makes me want to go around and close all the shades and blinds but that would set off Caroline's radar. Then we would be calling her mom and Damon.

It's time to put my rational mind to work so that I don't tip Caroline off on how scared I am. This is just Andie's attempt to get to me and to make me react. As long as I don't react, she has no reason to keep this up and we can just forget it happened.

DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDE

The next morning, I have almost put the flower incident out of my mind. It's a new week, Damon and I are on a new path and I am ready for the world. At least, I am until Brady calls me into his office a few minutes after I arrive.

"Good morning, Brady." I say as I walk into his office. "You wanted to see me?"

"Have a seat. I wanted to catch up with you and see how you are doing and if you need anything."

"Everything's going great. I'm really enjoying my work and my co-workers are great."

"That's what I like to hear." Brady sits up in his chair and leans on his elbows, making me nervous. "One thing is bothering me, however."

"What?" I'm trying to wrack my brain to figure out what I have done and nothing comes to mind.

"I've heard a rumor that you're dating Damon Salvatore. Is this true?"

"It is but I don't know what that has to do with anything."

"It has to do with this being a professional place of business and not a dating service."

"Brady, I completely agree and have been working really hard to keep my relationship with Damon separate from my job. As far as I'm concerned, when we're here there is no relationship."

"Great. That's what I wanted to hear." Brady stands up and extends his had so I stand up and shake it. "Let me know if you need anything and we are happy to have you here."

"Thank you." That's the most I can muster. If Damon heard that conversation, he would flip. I'm not sure Stefan would be happy about it either. Damon and I are adults with great work ethics; we know what comes first. Now, whenever we're not here, all bets are off.

DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDE

Later that evening, Caroline and I are sitting at the bar at the Grill waiting on Damon and Stefan to join us for drinks and dinner. We are sipping our Cosmos and I have just told her what happened with Brady that morning.

"Please tell me that you're going to say something to Damon." She pleads with me.

"Why would I do that?" I ask.

"Because you are dating him."

"Caroline, it's a work issue. I don't discuss work issues with him." I point out for the hundredth time.

"But it concerns him."

"No it doesn't." It's now a battle of wills that I am determined to win.

"Did you or did you not promise to talk to him about things unlike your other relationships where you didn't talk about anything?"

"Caroline, that was a low blow and I meant big issues. These are minor issues."

"Well, when it blows up in your face, I reserve the right to say I told you so."

"Fine."

At that moment, Damon and Stefan join us. "What are you talking about that's got you so tense?" Stefan asks.

"Caroline is being overly dramatic." I say.

"Elena is being stubborn."

"So everything's normal?" Damon quips as he kisses me.

"Ha ha. Very funny." I wrinkle my nose at him. Matt comes over and gets their drink order.

"Elena, were the flowers from Damon?" Stefan asks, innocently, while I glare at Caroline who just shrugs.

"What flowers?"

"There was a vase of flowers delivered to our house yesterday for me." I explain. Now to come up with something believable because I'm not telling Damon. "They were from a family friend congratulating me on my new job and home." There, that's believable, right?

"As long as they weren't from an admirer." Damon teases.

"I would definitely say they were not from an admirer." I laugh. "Why don't you and Stefan grab a table while Caroline and I go to the bathroom?"

Once in the bathroom, Caroline apologizes for Stefan. She completely forgot that he knew about the flowers and would probably ask. I told her it was okay as I had forgotten as well.

"I feel horrible about lying to Damon." I confess. "I'm not the best liar in the world."

"You did great but you know how I feel about it."

"I know but I don't want to worry him." The door opens and Andie walks in. I am immediately panicked but try not to show it.

"Elena, what a surprise. Twice in one week." Andie greets me.

"Yeah, what a coincidence." Caroline mutters and rolls her eyes.

"Andie, it was great to see you again." I lie and grab Caroline to pull her out the door. "But we really need to get to dinner with Damon and Stefan."

Caroline and I walk out to go find the guys. "Now will you tell Damon? That was clearly not by chance."

"You don't know that and it's not like she's threatening me." I argue as we look around for the table. When we spot it, Caroline turns to me to stop me from walking away.

"No, she's stalking you. The threatening will come later." Caroline is really serious about this but I can't let Andie get to me.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Okay but if it gets any weirder, we're telling Damon and my mom whether you like it or not." Caroline declares and I agree with her. She's right. I'm just not ready to confront it yet.

When we get to the table, Damon stands and hugs me. I melt into his arms and I want him to hold me forever. As I look over his shoulder, I see Andie watching us from the door. Damon can't see her because his back is to her but I watch her give us one long look and then leave. I bury my head into the crook of his neck and breathe him in.


	12. Chapter 12

Just Once Dance: Chapter 12

EPOV

Damon drops me off at the townhouse after our friends Labor Day weekend party. I wanted one more night with Damon but there's way too much laundry to do and we have to go back to reality at some point.

"Care, do you want to do laundry together?" I ask as I pass her room.

"Sure."

When I get to my room I stop in the doorway, shocked, unable to absorb what I am seeing. There's just no way. No freaking way. As I'm stopped in the doorway, I think back over the past two weeks. After the flowers and the incident at the Grill, I had a hard time convincing myself that this was all a coincidence. Andie is not stalking me. Those things don't happen in real life, right? I have watched way too many Lifetime movies and I needed to get a grip on reality.

I did a really good job until that Wednesday evening. That's when the phone calls started. Damon was working late and Caroline had an event so I was in the townhouse by myself when my iPhone started ringing with an unknown number.

I answered but there was no one on the other end, just dead silence. I assumed it was a wrong number and hung up. It continued on and off throughout the evening until Caroline returned. I tried to hide my relief at her homecoming but I'm not sure she believed it, especially when I texted Damon to spend the night. However, she let it pass. I think she was satisfied that I was at least acknowledging something's not right even if I was not actively doing anything about it.

The phone calls continued the next day at work but since I have caller ID on my work phone, I didn't answer. Then after 24 hours, they stopped as suddenly as they started which was more disconcerting than the continual calling.

Caroline and I stayed at the Boarding House that weekend while our friends came over and hung out at the pool. It was a relaxing and genuinely great time and I almost forgot about Andie.

Then Monday morning came. When checking my work email that morning, I had an email with an attachment. Everything in my body said to ignore it but I couldn't. The attachments were photos of me and Damon having sex in his bedroom and his bathroom from the past weekend. That's when I should have gone to Damon but, of course, I didn't.

"Care, I think it might be time to call your mom." Caroline races out of her room and over to me.

"Why? What happened?"

"There's been a murder." I still can't put it into words.

"What?" Caroline pushes me out of the way and gasps. "Is that your teddy bear?"

"It was." My teddy bear has been decapitated and its stuffing is all over my room, along with photos of me and Damon, shredded.

"Can I call Damon now?"

"No."

"Elena, it's time."

"Don't call Damon. Call Stefan so he can tell Damon and get them over here. Then call your mom and Aunt Jenna. I think I'm going to need her."

"Why don't you go back to the living room while I make the calls? Mom's not going to want you to touch anything."

I take Caroline's advice and collapse onto the couch, kicking off my shoes and pulling my knees up under my chin. I'm still trying to process all the implications of what my teddy bear's murder means. While I was having a blast with my friends, she was in my house. She went through all of my photos of me and Damon. Who knows what else she went through?

Sheriff Forbes is the first to arrive and Caroline takes her to the scene of the crime. While they're in my room, Damon and Stefan arrive with Jenna right behind them. The first thing Damon does is pull me into his arms. "What happened?"

"Didn't Stefan tell you?" I glare at Stefan and he slightly shakes his head no. Great. I get the honors. Damon is going to be so mad.

"No. He just said Caroline called and you needed us here, now."

"My teddy bear has been murdered." Then I start bawling while Damon and Jenna shoot questions at me trying to figure out what's happening. Jenna gets me a box of tissues and I sit up trying to pull myself together. "After you dropped me off, I went straight to my room to sort my laundry but when I got there, I found my teddy bear decapitated and his stuffing was everywhere."

"Elena, who would murder your teddy bear?" Jenna asks. She's sitting on the coffee table in front of me.

"I'm not positive but I have a pretty good idea. Amidst his stuffing, were shredded photos of Damon and me." I start crying again. God, I'm sick of crying.

"Elena, I need to ask you some questions and you need to be very honest with me. No holding back, okay?" Sheriff Forbes and Caroline have come back into the room. Liz sits in the chair beside me.

"Okay. I promise." I know Damon's going to freak when he hears my answers. He's barely keeping it together now.

"When did the first incident occur?"

"First incident?" Damon interrupts. Here we go. "There's been more than one?"

"Damon, let her answer. Then you two can talk. Elena?"

"It was two weeks ago yesterday." I take a deep breath. "Damon and I went to the lake house for the weekend and when I got home there was a vase of flowers. Caroline assumed they were from Damon but they weren't."

"Who were they from?"

"I'm not sure but I think Andie Starr." At my confession, Damon is up and pacing. He's remembering that I lied about the flowers. Caroline's right; I should have told him but I didn't think it would go this far.

"Why do you think they were from Ms. Starr?"

"She and Damon were dating and then they broke up. After the break up, Damon and I started dating. She's convinced that I am the reason they broke up and if not for me, they would still be together."

"Was there a card?"

"Care has it."

"What else?"

"The next day she showed up at the Grill when Caroline and I met Stefan and Damon for dinner. Then I started getting weird calls on my cell and at work. They were from an unknown number." I'm afraid to look at Damon.

"Elena, why didn't you tell us?" Jenna has taken Damon's place beside me and is holding me to her.

"Elena, what else?" Liz presses. I'm guessing Caroline has told her everything but she wants to hear it in my words.

"I received some emails at my work email." I so do not want to tell anyone about the emails.

"Can you tell me about the emails?"

"They were from a Do Not Reply address and the attachments were pictures of me and Damon." This is going to be the worst part. It's why we haven't been at the Boarding House in almost a week.

"Was kind of photos of you and Damon?"

"They were of us having sex in his bedroom and bathroom." I barely get this out before I collapse into Jenna's arms, unable to look at Damon, Stefan or Liz.

"They were just of the Boarding House, not here or the lake house?" Liz questions.

"No, just there."

"Okay. Anything else you need to tell me?"

"No, that's everything."

"I'll leave an officer here to watch the house and I'll post someone at the office tomorrow as well. We'll process your bedroom as quickly as possible so you can have that back." Liz squeezes my shoulder and goes over to talk quietly with Stefan. Damon is staring at me but not saying a word. I wish he would yell or something.

"Damon, I'm going to let one of the deputies into the house so they can sweep for cameras." I hear Stefan say. "Then I'm going to help them get the emails off our server so they can try to trace them that way. Do you want to go with me or are you staying here?"

"I'm not leaving." Damon responds without taking his eyes off of me. "Brother, can you bring me an overnight bag? I'll need a couple of suits from my closet and my shaving stuff. Also, the good bourbon." Stefan nods and then leaves with a deputy.

"Elena, I'm going to go start your laundry." Once Jenna leaves, we're alone except for Caroline who is busy on her phone.

"Why do you need your overnight bag?" I decide to break the ice.

"Because for the foreseeable future, I'm moving in."

"I think I'll go help Jenna." Caroline makes her escape as we both ignore her.

"You can't move in. There's a deputy and I'll be fine."

"When you decided to not tell me what's been going on, you forfeited the right to decide what happens now. I am moving in and I will be driving you to and from work. If that means you have to stay late while I'm working or I have to work from here, that's what will happen. You will also take your lunch breaks in my office and no more walking around Mystic Falls on your breaks." 

"Damon, no. That's not going to happen." I am up off the couch and striding over to him.

"It is and if I can't be by your side, then it'll be Stefan or Jeremy. Hell, Ric when he's not at school."

"I refuse to be babysat like a child."

"Then you should have been honest and told me what was going on. Maybe I could have put a stop to it." Damon's blue eyes are blazing but I can also see the fear for me in them.

"Ric, Jeremy and Bonnie are on their way over." Caroline's voice falters as she and Jenna come back into the room. "I'm glad to see you two are working this out." With that, they both take a seat on the couch to watch our confrontation.

"If you won't do it for your safety, think about Caroline. She's here with you."

"That actually makes me feel better. I think the two of us can take Andie. Besides, I don't really think she'll try to hurt me."

"I know a teddy bear that would tell you differently." At that, I start laughing hysterically. This is all too much. Who would decapitate a teddy bear? It's the most absurd thing I've ever seen. As far as warnings go, it does get to me but I can't let anyone see that. If I show the slightest bit of weakness, they'll all have me on lockdown and I can't live that way.

"Damon, I love that you are so worried about me but I'm going to be okay." I wrap my arms around his waist and look up into his eyes. I catch a glimpse of guilt before he masks it and it makes me feel guilty too. He's just trying to protect me like I tried to protect him. "Okay, we'll try it your way except I'm not eating lunch in your office. I'm still trying to keep some distance between us there. And I don't need a constant bodyguard."

"Okay but if anything else happens, I mean anything, you let me and Sheriff Forbes know. Deal?"

"Deal." I lean up and kiss him to seal our deal.

Shortly after that, the others arrive and between us we tell them the whole story. Afterwards, they are stunned into silence except for Jeremy's outburst about wanting to go after Andie for trying to hurt me. I explain again that we don't know anything for sure and we should let the police handle it. The last thing I want is for Jeremy to get into trouble trying to protect me.

Now we're discussing getting the locks changed and a security system installed. Naturally, Damon doesn't trust these tasks to anyone else, so he's handling it. He wants it done tomorrow and will be meeting the locksmith here during work hours. He's hoping to get the security company here at the same time. Lucky me, he is going to trust me to stay at work with Stefan under the strict rule that if Damon can't pick me up after work, Stefan will drive me home.

We just spent an entire weekend together and now here we all are again. Everyone should be home, unpacking and getting ready for work tomorrow and instead they're here trying to set up a schedule to make sure I'm never alone. I want to tell them to not disrupt their lives because of me, that I will be fine but one look at Damon and I don't say anything. He wouldn't hear it and he's still upset with me for not trusting him. Why didn't I just tell him the truth from the beginning?


	13. Chapter 13

_Has it really been over two months since I updated? Wow. I can't believe I did that. I have no excuses other than time got away from me and my inspiration had waned a little. I've been working on this chapter for about a month and am finally publishing it. Yea! Once again, thank you guys for all your support, reviews, follows and favorites. I read back through my reviews today and it was really inspiring. Now to what you all have been waiting for, lol._

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries

 **Just One Dance Chapter 13**

EPOV

It's Day One of Operation Babysit Elena.

I already want to complain and break with this ridiculous notion that I need to be babysat. That is until I remember the look in Damon's eyes when he found out and the guilt I saw there. I can't put him through any more pain than I already have so if this makes him feel better, than so be it. Not to mention the fact that he is, and rightfully so, mad at me. For now, I'll put my big girl panties on and deal with it.

Besides, I got my wish. I wanted to spend last night with Damon after our long weekend, and while it wasn't for the greatest of reasons, I still got my wish. All night, he held me close with both arms wrapped around me, shielding me with his body, like he was afraid I would disappear. Or that something bad would happen to me. It made for a less than optimal sleeping situation but it made me feel safer and it let him know I was okay.

I'm realizing that with this new schedule, it's going to be nearly impossible to keep our relationship on the down low. This morning, and I'm assuming every morning for the foreseeable future, he drove us to work, walked me into the building, to the break room to drop off my lunch, and then to my desk. At that point, Damon handed me off to Jeremy who made sure I was okay and then went to his desk. While the handing off is a little awkward, I think it helps to make both of them as happy as they can be under the circumstances. Also, for Jeremy, it's the first time he's seen me since the making of the schedule last night and he can see that I'm okay.

For the first time since before the weekend, I am alone. Well, not really. I have coworkers surrounding me but, for the most part, they are ignoring me. At least now that Damon's gone, they're ignoring me. When he was here, they were staring without trying to stare. I guess the rumors have been confirmed now and we'll really be the talk of office gossip. I'm sure Brady is going to love that.

There are two things that I have refused to back down on. One is that I refuse to be escorted to the bathroom; it's none of their business and I can make it there and back without being attacked. Same thing goes for the break room. I can get coffee without being watched. I do admit that I am trying to time these things when I know Damon is busy and won't catch me. How nuts is that? I'm sneaking just to go pee and to get coffee, which is a vicious cycle.

Since Damon is meeting with the locksmith and security company, I am having lunch in Stefan's office which turns out to not be that bad, even if it is humiliating. I've always appreciated that he supported Damon and I way back before we were a couple but I'm starting to appreciate him as a friend as well. We haven't spent much time alone but I'm discovering that we have a lot in common and have a similar sense of humor. I think we could have been friends even without Caroline and Damon to bind us.

DPOV

I cannot believe that I am taking off from work in the middle of the day to have Elena's locks changed and a security system installed. First, who doesn't have a security system? They are two young women living alone and one's mom is the sheriff. You would think that Sheriff Forbes would have insisted on one but I can see the two of them refusing. It's great to be independent but they need to be smart about it.

Second, I don't trust Elena to do it herself. I don't think she would get it done before something happened. Hell, she hadn't even told me anything was going on much less done something proactive about it. Andie has been terrorizing her for the past two weeks and she hadn't bothered to say anything. I know she's been spending extra time with me but I thought it was to spend time with me, not to be protected. Now I'm not so sure.

Third, it's my fault we're in this situation and I need to do everything I can to take care of it for Elena. Without me, this wouldn't be happening. The first night at the bar, I insisted that Jeremy introduce us and wouldn't take no for an answer. He was worried that I would hurt his sister and now I have, though not in the way he thought I would.

I hate that I brought this into her life. I keep asking myself if I had done things differently, would we still be here? I should have broken up with Andie the night I met Elena, before she ever even got a whiff that Elena existed. How could I not have seen that Andie would do something like this? Then again, we didn't have the type of relationship where you actually have conversations. Not like with Elena. It was mainly a relationship of convenience.

Still, to have cameras installed in my bedroom and bathroom to record us having sex? That's insane, to put it mildly. Shit. I guess I need to change the locks there too and the security code. Neither Stefan nor I have changed it since she left. If the locksmith can do it after he gets done here, I'll have Stefan meet him there and Jeremy can bring Elena home. Thank God there's more than just me to watch her.

DEDEDEDEDEDEDE

"So, here is your new key, Caroline already has hers and I have the only other copy." Elena and I are standing at the front door, while I update her on everything that has happened while she was at work. As soon as I gave Caroline her key and the code she was off to the Boarding House so, thankfully, we are alone.

"What about Aunt Jenna? She needs a key."

"Elena, for right now, let's keep the number of keys limited. The security code is 2791, chosen at random. We should change it regularly just in case."

"Can I give it to Jenna?"

"Elena, no. It's the same as with the key. Right now, less is better."

"Fine but I'm not happy."

"Duly noted. As we speak, the locks are being changed at the Boarding House and Stefan is changing the security code."

"Great." I can see the stubbornness in her eyes and I know instantly that she is gearing up for another argument. "Did Jeremy really have to walk me to the door? I texted you and told you I was here. If I didn't make it to the door, you would have known."

"Would you rather I hire a security team?" Let's just go ahead and nip this in the bud.

"So those are my choices? You have to be informed of my every movement and either I have you all as my babysitters or complete strangers?"

"That's about it."

"It's ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous is you holding out on me. Andie has been terrorizing you for weeks, you didn't tell me about it and now I'm trying to protect you and you are fighting me. What do you want to do?"

"I don't want any of this to be happening." Now Elena has tears in her eyes. Shit, I didn't mean to make her cry but she needs to realize how serious this is. I pull her into my arms and marvel at how well she fits. Her head finds its spot in the hollow of my neck and I breathe in her hair.

"I know you didn't ask for any of this and I'm sorry that I brought it into your life. I wouldn't leave you alone and because of that my ex-girlfriend has targeted you." I close my eyes before whispering the next part. "I should have just left you alone and let you get on with your life."

"Damon, no." Elena exclaims and leans back to look up at me. "I'm glad you didn't give up and this isn't your fault. You couldn't have known. While it's not the most fun I've ever had and I am frightened, it's worth it because we're together."

"You say that now but when it's over, I'm not sure."

"Damon, I know how I feel and it's time I told you." I have both hands on her waist and she places her hands on either side of my face so I can't look away. "Damon, I've tried to fight us since the beginning, even though I knew that we were inevitable. I love you now and I am still going to love you when this is over."

"Elena, I-" She places a finger on my lips.

"You don't have to say it back until you're ready but you need to know. I'm in this completely and I'm not going anywhere." Then she replaces her finger with her lips and I realize that I've needed to really kiss her since the murder of the teddy bear. I'm running my hands all over her back while she is gently tugging on my hair to move my head the way she wants.

Elena boosts herself up and wraps her legs around me, which pushes her skirt up around her waist. I move my hands down to squeeze her ass and pull her closer so she can feel exactly how much I want her this second. I walk us to her bedroom where I set her down on the bed so I can pull my shirt off. Then I go to work on the rest of my clothes.

Elena is watching me while licking her lips and once my shirt is off, she starts undoing the buttons of her blouse. Once it's out of the way, I lay her back on the pillows and look down at this gorgeous angel who loves me, in spite of all that has happened. She has on a white, lacey bra that is barely containing her breast; her skirt is still pushed up around her waist, and a white, lacey thong and her high heels. She is the perfect combination of innocence and naughtiness.

I settle between her legs and begin kissing every inch of her that I can reach. Instead of removing her bra, I leave it on and pull it down enough to free each breast.

"Damon, can we stop for a minute?" Is she serious?

"What's wrong?" I ask as I look up at her.

"Just one quick question. Are you sure there aren't any cameras in here?" I hate that she even has to ask that question.

"Absolutely positive. The Sheriff did a sweep yesterday and I had the security guy check again today just to make sure. There's no way we would be doing this if I thought there was a camera."

"I know but I had to ask. You may continue." She smirks at me.

"As you wish." I continue kissing her breast and playing with her nipples. She's arching up into me and I know exactly what she's asking for. We both need to feel that she's safe, whole and alive. I reach down, move her thong to one side, and begin rubbing circles on her clit. She's already soaking wet and I don't think either one of us can wait much longer.

I slowly slide into her and let her adjust to me. The feeling of being inside her and knowing that she is safe and alive is hard to describe. She begins moving and I remember I'm supposed to be moving too, especially when I feel her heels pushing into me and pulling me closer.

As I feel her spasming and tightening as she approaches her first orgasm, I look down at her face and see the look of pure ecstasy on her face and I can believe that she loves me. It also makes me realize that I do love her back. When she orgasms, it's all I can do not to tell her but now is not the right time.

I lean back and put each of her feet on my shoulders and slam into her. Elena being Elena, she is pushing back into me and I know I'm not going to last much longer. I begin playing with her clit again and after a few minutes we're both exploding. After a few thrusts to help us both ride it out, I collapse on the bed next to her and pull her to me.

"Damon, can I take my heels off now?" She asks while giggling. I finish undressing her, pull the covers over us and then pull her back to me and we finally take the nap we both need.

EPOV

On Tuesday, Rose unexpectedly drops by my desk to escort me to Damon's office. She says he sent her down so I didn't walk to his office by myself. I'll be so glad when Sheriff Forbes can prove Andie is behind all this and gets a restraining order set up. Maybe then Damon will relax.

"Sheriff Forbes came by to update us on your case." Damon says when I walk in. Liz is already seated in front of his desk so I take the seat next to her.

"Any news?" I ask, hopefully.

"I have some but I don't know how encouraging it is." Liz takes a deep breath and begins going through her notes. "We are still tracing the cameras to see if we can find out where they were purchased and then by whom. We did find out that the emails came from an ISP address at a coffee shop in Charlottesville and local authorities there are checking to see if anyone saw Andie or someone matching her description."

"What about the phone calls?" Damon asks.

"So far nothing, but we are checking the cell phone towers to see if any were pinged during the times Elena's phone shows calls but they could have been placed through Wi-Fi calling. If that's the case, we may not be able to connect to anyone."

"What about the murder of my teddy bear?" Okay, that sounded silly even to me but I didn't do the murdering.

"We were not able to find fingerprints on anything in your home or any signs of forced entry. Do you have any idea how she could have gained entry?"

"No. Up until yesterday, the only people who had keys were me, Care, and Jenna. Now it's just me, Damon and Care." I glare at Damon, letting him know once again that I am not happy about Jenna not having a key or the code. "Also, the three of us are the only ones with the security code. He won't let even Jenna have it."

"Elena, Damon's right. The less people who have access to your home, the better, at least for now." Out of the corner of my eye I can see Damon smirking. "Elena, I need you to take this seriously. Your mom was my best friend and I owe it to that friendship, and my love for you, to protect you, just like she would."

"Liz, I appreciate that. I hear what you're saying but I really don't think I'm going to be physically hurt."

"Elena, you are unbelievable." Damon comments and I send him another glare.

"Damon." Liz warns with a small shake of her head. "Elena, let's try this another way. What if Stefan's ex-girlfriend randomly showed up where Caroline was? What if she videoed them having sex, sent emails with the videos, called Caroline, broke into Caroline's room, destroyed pictures of them and a stuffed animal?"

"I would be tearing this town apart trying to protect her." I finally concede a little bit.

"Exactly. So let me do my job and don't give Damon such a hard time."

"I'll try."

"Liz, I think we should look into the possibility that Andie isn't working alone." What? Damon thinks someone's working with Andie? This is the first I'm hearing about it.

"What makes you say that?"

"I can see her murdering the bear, destroying pictures and calling Elena but I have a hard time with her installing cameras and setting up a feed on her own. She's not that inclined to technology."

"With that, I will see what we come up with and keep you posted."

After Liz leaves, I remain in my chair, staring straight ahead. It never occurred to me that she wasn't working alone. Does that mean someone else out there wants me harmed? I hate being in this position.

"Elena, are you okay?" Damon's voice brings me out of my dreamlike state.

"Do you really think she's working with someone?" I manage to say.

"I do. Some of the things that have happened are very technical and the tracks have been covered. I can't imagine that Andie could pull it together long enough to get it done."

"That means we don't know who else could be after me."

"Which is why you really have to listen to me and Sheriff Forbes and let us protect you." I hate to admit it but he might be right. At this thought, I go over to him, sit in his lap and lay my head on his shoulder. I need to feel safe and protected right now and he does that for me. Even if I do fight him at every turn.

DPOV

The more I think about the fact that Andie, whether alone or with an accomplice, has a tape with Elena naked and vulnerable, the less able I am to let the cops handle this. Elena finally trusted me enough to open up and let me into her life, then this happens. We have a sex tape and Andie has control of it. If she releases it, Elena will be devastated. It's not going to happen. Andie is going to hand over all copies and erase any trace of it.

"Hello, Damon." Andie say as she opens to the door to let me in. "I've been expecting you."


	14. Chapter 14

**JOD Chapter 14**

DPOV

The more I think about the fact that Andie, whether alone or with an accomplice, has any form of media with Elena naked and vulnerable, the less able I am to let the cops handle this. Elena finally trusted me enough to open up and let me into her life, then this happens. We have a sex tape and Andie has control of it. If she releases it, Elena will be devastated. It's not going to happen. Andie is going to hand over all copies and erase any trace of it.

"Hello, Damon." Andie say as she opens to the door to let me in. "I've been expecting you."

No sooner am I in the door, than Andie has me wrapped in a tight hug. My first instinct is to throw her arms off and that's what I do.

"Why are you hugging me? If you've been expecting me, then you know why I'm here." I am so confused.

"That's why I'm hugging you. You're here, just like I knew you would be, to get back together. You've gotten Elena out of your system, realized she's not enough for you and you're here to get me back."

"No. Absolutely not." She really has lost her mind. "I'm here because you've been terrorizing Elena and it's going to stop now."

"Why would I do that? I don't need to threaten her in order to get you back. You'll come back on your own." Andie is giving her wide-eyed innocent look and it's a good act but I know her too well.

"So you haven't been showing up at the Grill when she's there? You didn't install cameras in my bedroom and bathroom, take pictures of us having sex, and email them to her? You didn't send her flowers? You haven't been calling her and hanging up when she's alone? Last but not least, you didn't break into her house, decapitate her teddy bear, and shred pictures of us?"

"First, it's a small town and everyone goes to the Grill. Second, why would I do any of that?"

"Because you're insane. Because you think she'll break up with me if you keep it up or you really are trying to hurt her." I take a step toward her and look her in the eye. I have never been a guy who threatens women but I have no sympathy for her at this moment. "I'm telling you right now, leave her alone. There is nothing you can do to make her break up with me and if you hurt her you will answer to me."

"Don't threaten me. It's not something you want to do right now." Andie warns. For a second, I see the woman who is hurting Elena but in a flash it's gone.

"Since you claim you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm going to assume asking you for any hard copies of Elena and I or telling you to delete any digital copies would be in vain."

"I don't know what to tell you other than maybe instead of focusing on me, you should look into her past. No matter what virginal act she tries to put on, I'm sure you're not the first."

EPOV

While Damon is out doing whatever it is that he's doing, supposedly working late, Ric and I are working on our bonding over pizza and beer. If there's one thing Andie has done it's force me to have a relationship with Damon's brother and his best friend. It's been a great side effect but I wish this bonding was under better circumstances. During our bonding, Damon calls to check on us.

"So, who's with you?" Damon asks.

"You don't know?" I tease and I know he's smiling on the other end. "It's your schedule."

"Well, it should be Ric but no one keeps me informed if there's a substitution."

"It is Ric. Jenna had to show a house tonight so we're at my place eating pizza."

"Ric left you alone to get pizza."

"Who said that? We had it delivered."

"You let a strange guy into the house?" Okay, this is getting ridiculous again.

"No, Ric met him on the porch and before you say anything, yes, I was alone for all of two minutes while he was on the porch. Stop being so dramatic and worrying so much."

"Telling me not to worry is like telling my heart not to beat."

"And stop with the romantic stuff. It makes me want to behave."

"Good. That's the point." I can hear the smirk in his voice. He knows how to get to me. "Anyway, I wanted to check on you and to let you know I'm on my way home."

"Home. I like the sound of that."

"Me too."

It's not long after we hang up, that Damon is home. To my surprise, he doesn't kick Ric out right away and the three of us actually hang out together. Damon finishes off the pizza, has a few beers and then kicks Ric out.

"How about that for personal growth? I let Ric stay." Damon points out like he's expecting a prize for showing some restraint.

"I know. I'm very proud of you." I say, giggling, and going along with it. "Do you think you should get a prize?"

"I do and that prize should be a night alone with my girl and no best friends, siblings or aunts."

"Well, you are in luck because Caroline is staying at the Boarding House and no one is coming over."

"Here's to the perfect night." Damon says and we clink beer bottles and then drink them down. "Why don't we go upstairs, light some candles, open a bottle of wine and take a bubble bath?'

"A bubble bath? In my tiny tub?"

"It'll be cozy. Come on. Let's go."

Damon did show personal growth and I did promise him a prize. Plus a bubble bath sounds heavenly. There's been too much stress and it'll be nice to relax.

Finally, a half hour later, I am sipping wine while leaning back against Damon's chest and enjoying the feel of sponge being run all over my body. Until Damon, I never knew that bubble baths could be so erotic. In moments like these, I can almost forget that I have a stalker. Almost. However, I'm letting that ruin my night with Damon. That's her goal and I'm not giving into it.

While I'm letting go again, Damon rubs the sponge across my breasts in figure eights and I am completely lost to the sensation. I am arching my back to push my breasts into the sponge while simultaneously rubbing my ass against his hard length. Just when I'm on the verge of orgasming, Damon moves the sponge to my arms, legs or stomach. As soon as he lowers the sponge, all bets are off and I explode.

"That's one." Damon says, proudly. Before I can respond or recover, he drops the sponge and goes to work on me with his fingers. I'm trying really hard to hold off but he feels so good that I find myself moving my hips against his hand. "Come for me, baby." That's all it takes and I'm exploding again. "That's two."

I turn and straddle him, loving the feeling of sliding over his length and knowing how perfect it feels and how perfect we fit. He allows me to move over him a few times and then he stops my hips and takes over the thrusting. We started out slow and easy, now we have moved into hard and fast. Water is sloshing over the side of the tub but that doesn't matter. All that matters is how right this is, how good this feels, and having our perfect night. Soon, we're clutched to each other's chests and we both detonate.

"That's three."

Breathlessly, I manage to say "I can't believe you kept count."

"My prize was making sure you had more orgasms than me." Damon tucks my hair behind my ear.

"I have to say, I love your prize."

DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDE

It's Tuesday night and one week of being under constant surveillance. At first, it was a novelty and kind of fun. I mean, who wouldn't want to spend all of their free time with Damon? Now, I need some breathing room. I haven't been out of this house for anything other than work since we got home from the lake.

We haven't even gone out for dinner. Damon either cooks or orders take out and we either eat alone or with everyone. Of course, they all get to leave when they're done, while I have to stay here. I'm sure if I asked or told him I wanted to go out, he would take me but he's so nervous that I just let it go.

So I think that's the reason I have ended up at the Grill with Bonnie, Caroline and no chaperone in sight. We left Stefan at our house under the impression that we were going to hang out at Liz's for some girl time alone. Instead, we headed straight here and ordered drinks. We're having a blast and it's great to have some freedom again but I keep looking over my shoulder expecting Andie to be there but there's no one there. Damon's paranoia is starting to grow on me.

In between rounds, we decide to do some dancing and are immediately surrounded on the small, makeshift dance floor. There's nothing like three, young, hot women dancing to get everyone else up and going. I'm finally starting to let go and to be young again when I feel someone's hands on my hips from behind.

I turn around and it's Damon. Shit. This is not going to be good. However, instead of immediately dragging me off the floor, he dances out the song with me. Then the dragging happens. We are out the door to where Stefan is waiting.

"Damon, I can explain." I have hold of his wrist and am trying to make him look at me.

"Elena, I don't need you to explain. I know exactly what happened. As soon as my back was turned, Caroline talked you into ditching Stefan and going drinking. Stefan, being the idiot that he is, decided to either believe you were going to Liz's or decided not to call you on your shit."

"How did you know where to find us?"

"I tracked your phone which I wouldn't have to do if you were where you said you would be."

"Damon, calm down." Caroline has joined us and is rolling her eyes. I know she doesn't see what the big deal is and he is going to kill her.

"Blondie, stay out of this. I'm trying very hard not to yell at you."

"How about you stop yelling at my best friend? You're not her dad and she's not a teenager. And in case you haven't noticed, she's fine."

"If she wasn't fine, and there's a good chance she wouldn't be, it would be your and Stefan's fault."

"How is it my fault? I'm not the one whose ex-girlfriend is a psychopath."

"No, but you are the one who has her out drinking without any protection other than you and Bonnie."

"We wouldn't have to sneak out if you would treat her like an adult."

"Stop it!" I am so frustrated with both of them. Caroline starts to say something and I give her the look I don't use on her very often but when I do, she knows I'm being serious. "Caroline, it's not Damon's fault that Andie is a psychopath. Damon, Caroline just wanted to go out and have fun. I've been stuck in the house all week and I needed to breathe."

"Stefan could have brought you both here and then sat at a different table. I just want you to be safe. You're not safe if you're unprotected." Damon kisses the furrow between my brows trying to soothe it out. How does he go from yelling at Caroline to being so calm with me?

"Next time we'll do that. Why don't we spend the night at the Boarding House and Caroline can go home." I suggest hopefully. At least the Boarding House has different scenery than our house.

"Not happening." When he sees my frown, he stops to explain. "It's easier to protect you at your house than at mine. I know we've changed the locks and the codes but my house is huge. I don't feel safe with you there."

I decide at the moment, it's easier to give in than to try to get him to see things my way. However, things can't go on like this. I can't keep living my life as a prisoner or a hostage. My life has been in complete disarray since I met Damon. While I don't regret meeting him or our relationship, something is going to have to give. Either we have to go back to normal or we need to be able to prove Andie is behind this one way or the other.


	15. Chapter 15

_Author's Note: I apologize for the delay in posting and for the short chapter but I wanted to get something out to you all. There are some revelations and I hope you all are surprised. I also hope you all enjoy! Thanks for all your support. I truly am thankful for all the reviews, likes, and favorites._

Chapter 15

I wake up in a horrible fog with a pounding headache. The headache is so painful that the thought of opening my eyes immediately has me shutting them tighter. That doesn't feel so great either though. I try to relax my body to figure out what's wrong. First, my head is on a pillow but it's not the right pillow. It's not on my bed or Damon's because it doesn't smell like him. Smelling him either calms me down because I know I'm safe or makes my body ache because it wants him. Neither of those things are happening.

Second, my arms are above my head and when I try to put them down, they stay. What the hell? They're tied to something and I'm assuming it's a bed. This is not good.

Third, my legs are tied together but not tied down. Up until now I've been hoping that this is some sick joke from Damon but I know deep down he wouldn't do this to me without my consent.

Okay, so I have to try to figure out where I'm at and what's going on. To do that, I'm going to need to open my eyes. Shit. That didn't do anything. Wait a minute, I'm blindfolded. No, not blindfolded. It's a sleep mask. Dear God, what is going on?

What happened last night? As I'm trying to figure out how I'm tied up and if there's any possibility of escape, I run through everything I remember. We decided to have a girls' night and got Damon to agree as long as I was never alone. He knew I needed space and that I was going crazy being confined to the office and my house.

So, the girls decided on dinner out in Charlottesville while the boys stayed home watching whatever sport is in season. We began drinking as soon as we hit the table (except Bonnie, our designated driver) and with me drinking the most. Then while enjoying our after dinner drinks, I decided to push my luck and told everyone I needed air and would be back.

"Elena, wait a sec and I'll come with you." Jenna said as she pushed back from the table.

"No, Jenna, I really need a few minutes alone to breathe. I'll be fine." I insisted because I just need a moment to believe that everything is normal.

"Jenna, what she really wants to do is go outside and have a cigarette without any of us bitching at her." Caroline, the fink, ratted me out. I shot her a glare and she just gave it right back. We've had this argument before.

"Really, Elena? This isn't high school anymore." Bonnie started in too. Awesome support from my best friends. They know how stressful all this has been and so what if I have developed one bad habit. I'll stop when all this is over.

"When have you ever smoked?" Jenna asked. I forgot that she was never informed of this particular activity.

"I smoked before mom and dad died and then quit after the accident." I quickly explained.

"And you've started back?" I could see the disappointment in Jenna's eyes.

"She only smokes when she feels the need to be rebellious. Her parents didn't let her run wild so she smoked. Damon won't let her out of his sight so she smokes." Bonnie explained. "And before you ask, she is an expert at hiding it. Since you didn't have a clue, that means her parents didn't even suspect."

"Okay. Enough talking. I'm going out and I will stand right by the front door and not wonder off. No one even knows we're here." With that I was out the door and after that it's fuzzy. There's something there, something familiar but it won't come to me.

How could I be so stupid and reckless? Now I have to hope that they realized I was missing sooner rather than later. If I make it out of this alive, Damon is going to kill me.

DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDE

The girls decide to give Elena a few minutes alone and pay for dinner before joining her outside. That way she's alone but not for too long. Once they get outside, however, they quickly realize their mistake.

"Shit. Shit. Shit. I can't believe this. She's gone." Caroline is almost in a full blown panic after they search the area and confirm Elena isn't there nor are there any signs of her.

Jenna quickly takes control of the situation because she knows there's a limited amount of time to find Elena. "Caroline, call your mom so she can let the local police know what's going on and I'll call Ric so he can tell Jeremy and Damon."

Liz tells Caroline to stay right where they are and the local police will send someone to meet them. After that, they'll go to the nearest police station and she should be there by then to try to figure out where Elena is or who has her.

The whole gang is in the lobby area of the police station waiting on word of Elena. There was no way Jeremy and Damon weren't coming. Of course Ric and Stefan wanted to be with Jenna and Caroline. After what seems like forever, Liz finally comes out.

"So there was a security camera set up outside the restaurant and it did capture something. I need Caroline and Bonnie to come watch the security footage. I think you might be able to help us identify someone."

"I'm coming too." Damon stands up because he needs to be involved in each step of finding Elena. Every bone in his body told him not to let the girls go out alone because he knew this would happen.

"Damon, I know you're worried but I don't think it's a good idea."

"Liz, I'm watching that video. I need to know what happened to her." Damon pleads and Liz finally gives in. She can't blame him even though she knows he's not going to like what he sees. The four of them go into a room where an officer is waiting to play the video. Once it's over they are all stunned. While the video isn't great quality, Bonnie and Caroline do recognize the guy with Elena.

"Mom, that's Liam but I don't understand. I thought he was in med school at UCLA."

"That's why I wanted you to confirm it was him. We're going to run a trace on him to see if we can find any evidence that he's here and not in LA but the police here are not really concerned."

"Because she willingly left with him." Damon finishes the thought. "There were no signs of a struggle and there's no reason for the police to think she was abducted."

"Exactly but we know differently." Liz confirms. "Also, they haven't found her purse or phone."

"I've been trying to track her phone but it shows the restaurant as her last known location." Damon says and runs his hand through his hair. "There's no way she just went with him. We don't know what happened once they were out of shot of the camera. We don't know if he threatened her or what."

"What do we do now?" Bonnie asks.

"Now, we go back to Mystic Falls. I know that's not what any of us want to do but as far as the police are concerned, there has been no crime committed and she is an adult. They will keep an eye out for her, Liam and Andie unofficially but that's all they can do."

"But we're going to keep looking, right, Mom?"

"Of course. We will find her."

DEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDEDE

The next time I wake up, it's because someone is removing the sleep mask and my first hope is that Damon has found me. That hope is quickly extinguished when I see who it is. Liam is lying next to me on the bed. I scramble as far away as possible and manage to sit up against the headboard with my legs pulled up into my chest. That's when I notice that I'm wearing a short nightgown that isn't mine. This is way too creepy.

"Liam, what the hell are you doing?"

"Now, is that any way to greet the love of your life when he has come back to rescue you?" I think he has to be joking but I see the sincerity in his eyes and it scares me.

"You are not the love of my life and I don't need anyone to rescue me. We broke up. You went to med school in LA and I came home. I have moved on with my life."

"You'll feel differently once we're in California and you're not under any undue influence."

"There is no way in hell I'm going anywhere with you and I'm not leaving my life here." Liam has lost his mind. Where is this coming from? When we broke up in May it was completely mutual. His dream was to go to UCLA and mine was to go home.

While we continue to argue, I try to look around the room to see if anything is familiar but it's just a generic bedroom with the blinds closed. The sun is trying to peak through the blinds so my best guess is it's the morning after being kidnapped. I'm not going to be able to rely on Damon finding me so I'm going to have to get myself out of here.

My plotting is momentarily distracted when the door to my right opens. Shit. Andie. I had forgotten about her amidst all the craziness that is Liam. Of course she is behind this. Why didn't I listen to Damon and everyone else?

"Elena, I'm so glad you're awake. We can move this right along." Andie says as she moves over to stand by my head. Then to add even more creepiness, she tries to tuck my hair behind my ear but I turn away from her. "I have to admit, you are beautiful and I can see what the appeal is. Lust is temporary but love is forever. However, it's taking a little longer for Damon's lust for you to disappear and his love for me to come back."

"Andie, I don't know what you think you are going to accomplish but give up. If anything happens to me, Damon will never forgive you." Maybe if I play on her love for Damon I can get out of this alive and in Virginia, not California.

"We are taking this one step at a time and he will see his way back to me. First, you are going to tell him that you are going with Liam to California. You have realized that you are really in love with him and can't live without him anymore."

"That's not happening. I'm not telling Damon that and even if I did, he wouldn't believe me. He would know that it was you."

"You have way too much faith in him. He's not that deep. You're obviously not going to listen to reason right now so why don't you take a little nap and we'll talk later when you're willing to cooperate." Before I can react, Andie jabs me with a needle and I start to lose my grip on reality almost instantly. This can't possibly be happening to me.


	16. Chapter 16

_Author's Note: Finally, another chapter. Once again I apologize for the wait. I actually started on this chapter months ago but have been unable to find the words that I wanted to say. There's a big conversation in it that needed telling._

 _For what's been happening in my life, I have had two car wrecks in the past few months. In the first wreck, a guy was looking at his phone, ran a red light, and hit me as I was taking my son to school. We were both fine but it destroyed my car that was paid off. Then in my brand new, 6 week old car, a guy decided he couldn't wait for me to turn into my driver so he went the wrong way around me and took out the passenger side of my car. Luckily, I was alone that time and I wasn't hurt. People, slow down and pay attention._

 _Then, my nephew committed suicide two weeks ago and no one knew he was in trouble. So please, everyone love each other and let your family and friends know you're there for them. Hold them close while you can._

 _Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thanks for all the support once again._

JOD Ch. 16

On the way back, Liz contacted a colleague in the state police and he is willing to help in any way he can. Not only is he in the state police but he is also a Founding Family member and Founding Family members always take care of their own. He put out an APB on Andie and Liam's vehicles.

Once back in Mystic Falls, Damon, Jeremy, and Bonnie meet Liz at the police station while Jenna and Ric go the Boarding House and Stefan and Caroline go to the townhouse on the off chance that Elena shows up at either place.

Meanwhile, Damon can't stop his mind from wondering into dangerous territory. His brain will not shut off and focus solely on what's happening.

Why did Elena leave with Liam, seemingly, without a struggle? Did he threaten Jeremy? Damon can't believe that she would go with him if he only threatened her. It had to be a threat to Jeremy. Or, the thought comes into Damon's head no matter how much he tries to fight it, what if she went with him because she wanted to? There's no evidence that Liam and Andie are connected. Maybe they ran into each other and she realized she still loved him.

Stop it, Damon, he has to keep telling himself, you don't randomly run into people in Virginia who are supposed to be in med school on the other side of the country. Andie is obviously behind this but what does Liam have to gain and why is he involved? Was their breakup not as amicable as Elena says? There's always two sides to every story and the truth is somewhere in the middle but it doesn't excuse him from kidnapping her.

"Liz, use my resources, whatever you need. If you need money, I have it. If you need tech guys, we have at least 10 from the company that would be great assets."

"Get it all set up, Damon. We can use all the help we can get. I have a friend who is a state trooper and also a founding family member and he has volunteered his time and resources as well. The more people working on this, the better."

"Exactly. I still can't believe she's actually missing. Even with all our precautions, I didn't believe it would really happen and now she's gone."

"Damon, I will stop at nothing to get Grayson and Miranda's daughter back."

"I know. Thank you."

EPOV

The next time I wake up, I'm sitting in a chair with my hands tied behind my back and my legs tied to the chair legs and Andie is sitting in a chair directly across from me like she's been waiting for me to wake up.

"Well, Sleeping Beauty, it's about time you woke up. I have a fabulous idea but I need you to execute it."

"I'm not doing anything for you. Let me go." I practically growl. No way am I letting her see any weakness from me. While we talk, I'm testing my hand ties and trying to get loose.

"Oh, trust me, you will. Instead of texting Damon, I want you to call him. He needs to hear your voice because unfortunately you're right. He won't believe a text."

"There is no way in hell that I'm telling Damon that I'm leaving him. And as I keep trying to tell you, he won't believe me. He knows you are behind all of this."

"You are going to make him believe it because if you don't, you aren't going to have that pretty face anymore." To make her point even clearer, she pulls out a switchblade. At first I thought maybe this wasn't that serious but now she is really freaking me out. Not only has she kidnapped and drugged me, she's going to maim me?

"Andie, I think that's going a little too far." Liam finally starts making some sense. Andie completely ignores Liam. It's almost like he's a fly buzzing around that she just swats when he's annoying.

"If that still doesn't convince you to do it, there's always Jeremy to consider. I had to hear Damon talk about how awesome it was that you took such great care of him after your parents died. How you gave up everything to help raise him so I know how important he is to you. That's more of a chance than I ever got with my brother." Andie circles my chair like she's a shark and I'm the weak fish. Every once in a while she lays the knife blade on my cheek and presses slightly. What she said about Jeremy and her brother has me thinking. It's not just Damon she's jealous of but Jeremy as well. "I knew the second he met you, you would be trouble. I remember the night you met. He didn't want to tell me about you. He tried to act like nothing had happened, it was just a normal night out with Stefan and friends. Then he casually mentioned the girls that Stefan and Ric met and something in his voice set off my reporter's instinct."

"Andie, no one meant to hurt you and I'm so sorry about your brother. I can't imagine going through that."

"You don't get to mention my brother. He has nothing to do with this. Let's go back to the night you and Damon met. Really, before he said anything about the girls, I knew something was up. The boys came back from the bar and instead of heading upstairs with me, he chose to have one more drink with Ric and Stefan. He had never done that before. Then I for sure knew something was up when he mentioned your best friend and your aunt. You know, Damon and I were together for a month after Stefan had this new girlfriend but I never met her. That really told me everything I needed to know."

"Then why didn't you say something?" Enough of this shit already. I can't keep paying for this; we didn't cheat. Damon broke up with her and then we started dating. Not a moment before. "If you really believed something was going on, why keep silent? Why not do something about it, confront him? Damon was tortured about making sure he did the right thing and so was I. You had the power to stop it."

"Why should I have helped the two of you? Why didn't you just go ahead and fuck each other and get it out of your systems?" I keep hoping that Liam will do something to stop the crazy person but other than his one protest, he seems to be ignoring us. If he loves me so much, why is he letting this go on?

"Because no one wanted to hurt you!" There's no sense in trying to explain to her that sex isn't the driving force behind our relationship because apparently she doesn't understand that concept. "Neither one of us wanted to cheat on you. Yes, we spent a lot of time together. Yes, we wanted to be together. But we didn't do anything about it out of respect for you."

"Elena, there is no respect in going after another woman's boyfriend."

"Are you not listening to me? I didn't go after him. Besides, as I have told you before, if he was really and truly in love with you, meeting me would not have changed that." Once the words are out of my mouth, I instantly regret them, no matter how true they are. Rage like I have never seen comes across Andie's face.

DEDEDEDEDEDE

During the next day, Damon is at the sheriff's office with Liz waiting to hear news of Elena. Stefan has sent over the best computer guys that Salvatore Enterprises has and with the permission of the sheriff's office they are frantically trying to find a location for Andie, hoping it leads to Elena. They are checking Andie's background and anyone she has ever been connected with and any properties owned by any associates.

Through the tech guys' research, they have found that Liam booked and boarded a flight to Baltimore three days ago. While it's not in Virginia, it's close enough for it to be feasible for him to have been at the restaurant the night before. While the connection has not been made between him and Andie, Liz is asking the judge to issue a warrant to have her apartment searched. Even if Elena left with Liam willingly, she wouldn't have gone this long without texting someone, especially Jeremy or Jenna.

It's while at the police station that afternoon that Damon receives the phone call that at first makes him feel relief and then terrifies him.

"Elena, are you okay?" Damon asks and then puts her on speaker so Liz can hear the conversation in case there are any clues as to where she's at.

"I'm fine, Damon. Just tired." Damon can tell she's trying to keep her voice even but can tell it's trembling with tears. Liz makes the motion to keep Elena talking but of course he's going to. Her voice means at least she's alive.

"Where are you? I can come and get you."

"Damon, don't. It's alright. I'm with whom I'm supposed to be and soon I'll be where I'm supposed to be." Elena's voice has gotten stronger but he doesn't believe her.

"Elena, I know you don't mean that." Damon doesn't want this to be the way he says these next words but he's afraid he won't have another chance. "I need you to know that I love you and we are going to find you and bring you home."

"It's too late. I'm leaving and I won't be back." The words cut him like a knife and he hears her take in a deep breath and start crying when she exhales. "Damon, I'm sorry. I can't go through with this. I love you too!"

Damon hears a gunshot and Elena's scream on the other end. Then the line goes dead. "She shot her. She actually shot her."

"We don't know that. All we know is a gun went off." Liz's training kicks into overdrive because she has to keep herself and Damon together. This is Grayson and Miranda's daughter but it's also Caroline's adopted sister and her adopted daughter.

The call is long enough for the tech guys to trace. She is at a house off the main road in rural Virginia. When they search the address, they find that it's a cabin owned by Andie's station manager that's used as a getaway, not a full-time residence.

Damon goes with Liz along with two ambulances in case of multiple injuries. They also take two deputies as back up. There's not time to let anyone know what's going on but they take a few seconds to pray that Elena is alright.

Liz and Damon are in the first car driving up the winding country road that goes through a forest before it reaches the house. As the car turns a corner, they see a figure stumbling down the road with only a nightgown on. They quickly realize it's Elena and as soon as the car stops, Damon jumps out and runs to her.

Once Damon has Elena in his arms, she collapses before he's able to see if she's okay.


End file.
